Artificial Bonds
by AntiFiction
Summary: Prequel to Fullmetal Alchemist: The lives of the Homunculi and their Father, 70 years before the canonical story. From their point-of-view, family life seems lively and energetic, and yet somehow artificial. [It features all the Homunculi equally, but eventually, most of its story is told through Lust and Gluttony's views.]
1. Chapter I: Father

**-Introductory Notes-**

This prequel covers the lives of all seven Homunculi and their creator. It starts out rather boring, describing Father and his feelings in great detail, and then just dives into the lifestyles and interactions of the Homunculi. This takes place before Wrath's birth, because it's before Father tries making human-based Homunculi. To be specific, it takes place 70 years before the story begins in 1914. It should be 1844, which I may or may not mark in chapters in the future. It gets much better later on, and I'm considering re-writing earlier chapters when I get the hang of everyone's personalities. Let me know if I make any simple mistakes, such as saying "Greed lied" when Greed never lies. I'll fix them immediately. Here's a major note I forgot to address: People change over time. The Homunculi are _intentionally_ OOC at first. The point is that they used to be a certain way, and certain events and decisions shaped them into who they are today. I just wanted to clear that up real quick. I'm not being weird and making them OOC to suit my biased perceptions of them. I'm guesstimating what they may have been like in the past. Okay. With that, I bring you **Artificial Bonds**.

**Chapter I: Father**

AntiFiction

10-04-2012

(1)

Father was serenely perched on his tubular throne, posed to be in deep thought. He occupied the vast chamber alone, its ceiling stretching on endlessly and its borders far from visibility. Detachment from his children helped him cope with Empty Nest Syndrome. He tried not to feel too bothered by the absence of his six beloved creations. He sent them out on errands, and would probably be home for dinner. After all, he equipped them with immortality and lethal biological weapons - they should be fine. His parental instincts, although buried deep in his psyche, were softly yearning for them.

All day, he would sit and think. That's all he would do. He seemed to be constantly tired, probably in effort to conserve energy. Most of his incredible abilities were exhausted from being lended to his children, who often desperately needed his help for daily maintenance. Usually they ran to him for small problems, though sometimes the situation became severe. Nurturing them for hundreds of years was draining his energy. It was a nuisance for his own health, and yet, he couldn't live separately from them.

In his lonesome train of thought, he became distant for the great majority of the day. Morning, afternoon, evening, night - what was time anymore? Conditions were relatively constant underground. Silently, he cradeled the empty void where his offspring emerged from. Indeed it was more of a metaphorical than a physical void, yet it was nonetheless unbearable at this point in his life. He was still young, vital, and protective - his paternal instincts were deeply rooted.

_"Come to me, please..."_ He pleaded internally. He was still filled with emotions, though they had drastically decreased when he decided to divide himself into six portions. It was so hard to part with them. He reached his hands out into the black nothingness... because he forgot to turn on the lights. He sighed. Perhaps it was night after all.

A small child emerged from that darkness, bearing strong resemblance to its father. It tiptoed very silently, approaching with a calm, proud stance. "Did you call, Father?"

Father quickly glanced over at the child, his eyes beaming with surprise. "Pride, come to me." He pleaded, stretching out his arms to receive him. In response, the young boy happily ran over and embraced him tightly. Both of them were composed of the same substance: pitch-black darkness. Internally, they felt the familiar warmth of their similarities.

"Father, you're strong..." Pride said softly, probably in response to feeling the source of his own power. Father had much greater darkness, and he was capable of much more destruction. In comparison, Pride was indeed a small child.

"You'll grow, Pride." Father assured him, running his fingers through his son's short hair. "Aren't your shadows growing?" He asked, glancing around to find them. They were retracted inside Pride.

"Very slowly," Pride frowned, extending them as far as they would go. They barely made it to the back door of the room. Father stared blankly. "I don't know how to grow up..." Pride's lip quivered.

"Patience..." Father said softly. "Some day, you'll be as big as your old man."

"Think so?" Pride beamed.

"Know so." Father smiled.

"I love you so much, Father." Pride sighed, wrapping his arms around him once again. "All I want is your happiness." Pride, the firstborn, was made exactly in Father's image. He was murky and black, capable of generating shadows through which he could see, with the aid of multiple eyes. At the core, that was Father's true form. However, Pride differed in that he was created to be more human.

"My true happiness is far off into the distant future." Father sighed. "Therefore, all I have right now is my short-term happiness."

"What would make you really happy, right here and now?" Pride asked, standing tiptoed to look into his father's upcast eyes.

Father glanced into the distance, "... Seeing your siblings."

"That can be done." Pride smiled faintly. He didn't think too highly of those born after him. "They're not far. They're working towards your ultimate happiness. You know I am, too." Pride had the deepest, most sincere wishes for Father's success.

"Bring them." Father commanded, recoiling back onto his throne silently.

Pride grinned, turned around, and left the room.

Several hours passed, and Father was starting to grow desperate. He grasped onto his long pale hair, stirred in his long cloaks, and flowed down torturous thoughts. How obvious the internal void was, how wide that hole gaped, how empty he felt... It was only recently that he begun to remove pieces of himself, and yet he still had enough self-awareness to realize what he had done. He wasn't completely numb yet. He remembered how much he gave away when he created his children...

His self-confidence and self-esteem left together at the same time. His first loss was the way he used to uphold himself, and sometimes boast about his epic nature and grand achievements. Next, he lost his desire to live, his burning passions for achievements, and his sense of caring about life. It was followed by losing his selfishness - he became rather selfless, and soon careless, to the point of neglect. Almost instantly, he lost interest in his life's focus, his coveting of perfection, and his strive for achieving an elevated state of being. Much later, he lost relaxation, his ability to calm down and control himself, and his patience. Finally, he lost the will to eat - to replenish himself from all this energy loss...

... That probably explained his exhaustion. He hadn't fed himself in weeks. He was slowly losing purpose, and even though his children were intentionally corrupted in nature, they seemed to feel much more alive than he was. He suffered quietly, touching the scars of where his liveliness once was, where his purpose ought to be. Soon, he would be jaded and destroyed, to make room for the godly being that would arise from his vessel.

_"Return to me, please..."_ Father cried inwardly. "_I cannot bear the thought of killing you for my own selfish reasons. I cannot absorb you back in this state. But I need you to be with me right now..."_

At that lingering thought, Pride entered the room with his five siblings following closely. The entire family was here, reunited even if for a mere moment. "Father..." They whispered softly, and individually amongst themselves. They had never seen him like this. He was far from defeated, but he was not happy. This greatly displeased his children.

"What happened, Father?" A beautiful young woman stepped forward, her long black hair framing her face and neck. Oh Lust, the second-oldest... Identical to her younger siblings, she didn't have much darkness inside her. Quite the contrary, she was warm and lively, much like a burning flame. She had her share of his nurturing instincts, since love kindled protection. Love...

"Hold me..." Father pleaded, holding his arms out. Lust swiftly approached, and wrapped her arms around his frail figure. She was so warm, he began to shiver realizing how cold he previously was. She probably noted the temperature difference.

"Father, you're freezing." She said, brushing his long hair out of his face. "Are you ill?" Her eyes were fixated on his facial expressions, etched with concern and urgency.

"Yes..." Father admitted after struggling to keep his weaknesses inside. He preferred his children to view him as all-powerful, although the reality is that he wouldn't achieve this state for another hundred years. Until then, he sometimes needed to be cared for, and in turn, he cared for his beloved children on a daily basis. They gladly returned the favor. He knew that. A small smile crept on his lips.

Lust glanced over her shoulder. She was clearly staring at the third-oldest, Greed. He was slack, leaning against a wall and observing passively. He seemed disinterested, perhaps even bored. It was common for him to portray this behavior, but it was becoming more threatening over time. He didn't react much - he didn't seem to be a participant. He felt resented by his father, which played a key role in him wanting to keep his distance. He said nothing, but shot a resentful glare back at Lust. His eyes read, _"How dare you look at me that way?"_ Lust didn't back down. Her gaze was hardening. Greed stirred slightly - only she could bring a reaction from him. After all, he had a weakness for beautiful women. He finally broke the stare and glanced at something else. Lust grinned in triumph for winning yet another staring contest.

"Don't just stand there like an accessory for his robes! Do something!" Envy, the fourth-oldest, became outraged by Lust's lack of actions. His frame was distorted with intense anger. It was very much like him to become over-protective of Father, second only to Pride. He was created to be deceptive, with the appearance of being strong and independent, though deep down, he was extremely dependent on his father. Dependent, because he coveted what he didn't have... which was everything.

"I'm trying to keep him warm." Lust grimaced at her younger sibling. "Your yelling isn't going to help much." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, and leaned against Father. He was slowly gaining warmth, and his shivering stopped a while ago.

With heavy footsteps, Envy marched over to the throne and leaned over it. "Is there anything I can do, Father?" He asked in a raspy tone.

Father's eyes glanced around. He lifted his index finger and pointed at a glass on a table. "That - can you bring me that?" He asked weakly.

Envy nodded in response, quickly marching over to the table, snatching the cup, and promptly bringing it to his father. He held his thin, skeletal hand out, his bony fingers clasping the rim. Father reached for it in an eloquent fashion, and responded, "Thank you, Envy."

"No problem." Envy said, casting a look of seldom-seen worry. The only person he could sincerily worry about was his father, whom he deeply admired and emulated in every way he could. He was enraged that he had a reputation of being second to Pride, and, well, second to anything.

Father didn't even twitch when he summoned water molecules from the surrounding air and materials. His glass was filled to the brim, and he began to drink. Lust was still holding onto him carefully, stealing his coldness away and taking it into herself. Soon, she was shivering, but she didn't seem to mind. Finally, Father spoke, "I can't walk. I'm too weak. Can I be carried down the stairs to the basement?"

"Hey, Sloth!" Envy shrieked at his younger brother. The fifth-oldest was sprawled out on the floor sleeping, face-down as usual. He was breathing very heavily, and his siblings were wondering how they hadn't noticed it earlier. "Quit your snoring and get up!" Envy marched over to the slumbering giant.

"I don't think it's wise to agitate him." Lust commented, glancing down at Envy's foot, which was prepared to deliver a massive kick.

"Get up, you useless twit!" Envy delivered that kick straight into Sloth's muscular arm. It was the equivalent of hitting a rock. It had no effect on Sloth, and Envy was doubled over in pain, grasping onto his leg and screaming profanities.

"You're so melodramatic..." Greed chuckled from the sidelines. He finally spoke after such long silence. "Envy, do you always have to be a ticking bomb?"

"Greed, do you always have to play annoying narrator?" Envy shot back.

"... Ouch." Greed frowned. "Calm down, bro."

"NO!" Envy shrieked. He went on to talk so fast, nobody could comprehend a word he was saying.

"Who tickled?" Sloth finally lifted his head up and looked around the room. He was itching the place that Envy had kicked with all his might. "Not nice. Sloth was sleeping."

"It lives." Greed yawned, already bored with overreactive Envy.

"That would be Envy." Lust responded to Sloth. "He had a favor for you."

"Favor?" Sloth asked, slowly getting himself up with his massive, muscular arms. "Envy? Favor?"

"Father's sick." Envy breathed, trying to calm himself down for his father's sake. "He needs to go downstairs to the basement, to find an elixir. Can you carry him, Sloth?"

Sloth stared blankly at Envy. He glanced over at Father. He looked back at Envy. He looked at the stairs. He looked back at Father. He stared blankly at Lust. He turned around to face Greed. He stared up at the ceiling and started to rotate in circles.

"SLOTH!" Envy raged.

"What?" Sloth's attention span quickly ran out whenever Envy spoke. "Favor? Envy? Favor?" He repeated.

"FATHER. STAIRS. NOW." Envy yelled.

Now that was something Sloth could understand. He crawled over to Father and easily lifted him up out of his throne. Father perched himself up on Sloth's shoulder, and placed his arms around his thick neck to keep his balance. This giant was over twice the size of his siblings, and even his father. Unfortunately, his mental capacity wasn't very much, since most of Father's intelligence was lended to his siblings at that point. However, he was getting smarter every day, and his siblings were able to teach him new things... like fetch.

"Wait..." Father said softly, looking around the room and doing a head-count. "Gluttony... Where's Gluttony?" He pleaded desperately.

"He came in with me." Lust said, scanning the room for his presence. "I don't know where he wandered off to." She walked around, her high-heels clicking when they hit the floor. "Gluttony!" She called out. "Gluttony! Where did you go?"

"Gluttony has been sick, too, Father." Envy commented passively. "Do you think you two caught the same bug?"

"I think there's a connection..." Father said to himself. He held out his arm and pointed into the distance. "Go. Find Gluttony." He commanded.

"Here I am." A small head emerged from downstairs. It was peeking from below, two blank eyes staring forward, and a wide-set grin sweeping across its face.

"Gluttony, what are you doing down there?" Lust was prepared to scold the youngest sibling. "What did I tell you about wandering off without me?"

"... To not to." Gluttony said softly, placing a small finger in his mouth.

"Father told me to protect you, and so help me, I will!" Lust raised her voice. Gluttony cowered further down the stairs, holding his small arms up in anticipation of being struck.

"Calm down, calm down..." Father said weakly. "Everybody downstairs."

**-Author's Notes-**

So I just finished reading the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series this month... It's pretty awesome. I've also watched Brotherhood, but I haven't gotten around to the original 2003 anime. (I hear the story is very different from the manga canon.) I got intrigued by the Homunculi and decided, "Hey, why not write a humorous prequel about them?" Usually when I write, I end up with huge paragraphs and lengthy descriptions. To prevent this, I usually split my large chapters into two or three parts. That way, they are shorter and easier to read in one sitting. The antagonists of Fullmetal Alchemist really pique my interest, and I know I was quick to reveal summaries of their potential backgrounds, but it had to be done. This will be a really long story, and hopefully an interesting one. The overall theme is pretty obvious. They're a typical, normal family filled with psychotic geniuses and superiority complexes. Let me know what you think by clicking the review button. I'd appreciate it very much!


	2. Chapter II: Starvation

**Chapter II: Starvation**

AntiFiction

10-05-2012

(2)

Everyone quickly walked down the stairs, but Pride dragged along behind with a nasty expression on his face. He was fuming with anger, perceiving his siblings to be unnecessary extra baggage that had to be towed around mindlessly. It was because of them that Father was becoming sick. He knew it. How he should have birthed just one child, and not tried to create more...

Gluttony, the youngest, was a very small child - even smaller than Pride. He stood at everyone's knees, and he behaved as immaturely as he looked. Much like how Sloth drained immense amounts of energy while being created, Gluttony somehow managed to cause much more drastic energy losses. Even someone as powerful as Father seemed to be struggling to cling onto his life after creating such a creature. Despite his namesake, he was a very malnourished individual, his bones visible through his skin.

In the basement, Father perched himself on a stool, and glanced down at little Gluttony. The small child tilted his head and looked up at his father in amazement. He stared with such blank, curious eyes. He was a very happy child, often smiling and approaching everyone in a friendly and trusting manner. He didn't know pain, he didn't know grief, he didn't know evil. He was ignorant to them for a purpose. Unlike Sloth, whose intelligence wasn't conjoured up because it went to his siblings, Gluttony had the capacity for genius. However, in order to achieve that high level of thinking, it would require huge amounts of energy. He would need to feed continuously.

Exactly like Father, Gluttony hadn't fed himself in weeks. His skeletal structure appeared sturdy and resilient, but he barely had muscles to hold himself up. Father frowned at this sight, placing his large hand on Gluttony's small head. "You're hungry..." Father said.

"I'm very hungry." Gluttony replied. "There's nothing to eat."

Father cast a horrible, evil glare at his other children. It was so terrible that even Pride reacted by stepping back several steps and retreating into a corner. Lust shielded herself, in anticipation of fierce punishment. Greed actually ran back up the stairs to save his own life. Envy let out a piercing yell and fell out of his chair, as if he had been murdered in that very instance. Sloth tilted his head and stared blankly, trying to process what kind of emotion his father had. He was the only one who chuckled.

"Who did this?" Father immediately looked at Lust and Envy, the two siblings that were usually expected to care after their recently-born youngest brother.

"It was her." Envy pointed at Lust. "It was all her. Please don't kill me."

"I can explain..." Lust held her hands out in protection of her physical heart. She truly believed Father would kill her for this.

"Why did you starve him?" Father mustered up the strength to stand and hold out a ruthless fist to his only daughter. "Why did you do this to him?"

"Please, Father." Lust backed into a corner, slid down the wall, and held herself protectively. "Please don't hurt me..." She pleaded, burying her face in her hands. "Hear me out."

Father couldn't bring himself to even hit her. He could never be that angry. He calmed down, and felt a tinge of remorse at her fear. To regain his composure, he folded his arms. "Explain."

"He's picky." Lust said quietly. "Envy and I tried feeding him humans, like you said we should. Every single time we gave him someone to eat, he would say, 'No, I don't want it. It's gross.' He would say that over and over, so we ended up just killing them. He wouldn't even eat them if they were dead."

"Is this true, Gluttony?" Father turned around.

The poor child was cowering under a table, traumatized that he almost witnessed violence. "Scary..." He wimpered.

Father sighed. He reached under the table and stroked Gluttony's soft face. "Is it true?" He repeated in a sensitive, gentle tone.

Gluttony smiled affectionately, "It's true~"

"Why do you not like eating humans?" Father asked.

"They're icky." Gluttony answered.

"Have you ever tried one?" Father whispered.

Gluttony stared at the ground and shifted his feet playfully. "No."

"Why not?" Father frowned.

"They move around too much." Gluttony pouted. "They're loud, flaily, and pink. It's too gross." He stuck out his tongue in disgust.

"You never know if you like it until you try it." Father tried convincing him. He glanced over his shoulder at Lust, who was breathing sighs of relief. The other siblings seemed to be recovering from trauma, too. They were certain he would reduce Lust to a bloody pulp, just so that she could regenerate, and then beat her down to a corpse again. "Are there any hostages left?"

"We have two." Envy piped up, pointing up to the ceiling. "They're still alive in the storage room."

"Bring me one." Father said. "We have to feed the child."

Gluttony stared blankly at Envy. His lip quivered, "Don't do it, Envy. They're icky..."

"Father overrules you, pipsqueak." Envy stamped up the stairs. "Sorry!"

Gluttony stared blankly with his jaw dropped. "Come here, Gluttony." Father patted his lap, and his youngest child eagerly jumped in. "How old are you now, Gluttony?"

"I'm 30." Gluttony held out only three fingers, though. After all, he was the equivalent of three years for humans.

"They grow up so fast." Father said affectionately, cuddling the toddler in his arms.

"Speaking of which, why does Gluttony grow?" Greed chimed in, finally deciding to walk down the after Envy had safely made it to the top alive. "None of us ever grew. We were born already looking this way. Me, Pride, Lust, Envy, and Sloth. We've always looked this way. Why is Gluttony different?"

"He came from my flesh." Father touched a scar on his chest, "He grew from me, and he'll continue to grow throughout his life."

"Why?" Greed was confused.

"He can eat." Father replied. "He derives his energy from actual biological material. You five, however, derive your energy from your Philosopher's Stones. You don't need to eat. In fact, I'm certain it's physically impossible. Gluttony, on the other hand, has a typical digestive system. There are some differences between him and humans, but he's modeled off their design."

"You can eat, too, Father?" Lust asked out of curiosity, still curled up in a corner.

"Yes." Father responded. "However, now I eat through him." He pointed to Gluttony. "He has my stomach."

The siblings suddenly became disturbed to learn that Gluttony was sustaining their Father's energy. They realized that by not trying to learn how to feed him, they had been accidentally starving their own father. If Gluttony had no appetite, Father lost his energy and became a weakened creature unable to die. Before they could fully process that they almost killed their father and youngest brother, Envy arrived down the stairs with a screaming package.

"Fresh from the slaughterhouse!" Envy teased, kicking a large bag down the stairs. There were muffled screams, and a cracking sound when it hit the floor and walls.

Gluttony shrieked in terror and hid behind his father. Father folded his arms, "No wonder he has no appetite, Envy."

"What do you mean?" Envy asked innocently, grinning sheepishly in hopes that his adorable face would lessen his father's anger.

"It's like asking someone what kind of meat they want, and then giving them the animal they have to slaughter." Father said. "With time, someone will do it to survive, but a child... A child would rather preserve the lifeform, no matter how much further it is below them."

"That's illogical and stupid." Envy folded his arms.

"Yes, but he has to grow into it." Father said. "Go back upstairs, kill it, cook it, and then give it to Gluttony."

Envy raged. "Someone better help me with this." He glared at his siblings. "Lust, you're responsible for this whole mess, so get up here."

"You're equally responsible." Lust argued as she climbed up the stairs. "So don't try piling more chores on me."

"Have fun!" Greed took this as the opportune moment to leave. "I'm going out for several hours."

"Remember your curfew!" Father spat. Greed slammed the door like the rebel child he was.

"Sloth smash?" Sloth asked, feeling left out as everyone was pouring out of the basement.

"I don't think Gluttony wants mashed potatoes." Envy teased.

"Smash." Father agreed. "It has to be unrecognizable."

Sloth grinned and dragged himself up the stairs to join in the slaughtering and cooking. To them, that was always a fun family activity to do together. While Gluttony was still little, he was sensitive and easily traumatized. His beady eyes carefully analyzed the world around him, and his little body was very receptive to emotion. "Scared, daddy..." He said quietly.

"Come now." Father sighed. "What are you so afraid of?"

"Hurt..." Gluttony whispered. "Afraid of hurt."

"You will hurt yourself if you don't eat." Father said in a serious tone. "You'll hurt so much more than anyone else. Do you want to hurt anymore?"

Gluttony's eyes teared up. "No... Make it stop..."

"It won't stop until you feed." Father said.

"Tummy hurts when I try." Gluttony said, reaching down to his stomach. Nothing was there - it was sucked in. His ribs were jutting out.

"No." Father said. "Tummy hurts when you don't try."

Gluttony's eyes widened and realized what his feeding instincts were for. All that pain and agony, that nausea and dizziness, that repulsive inner cry... That wasn't the result of eating. It was the result of extreme starvation.

"Fresh hu-" Envy stopped in his tracks while walking down the stairs. He knew the word 'human' would disgust Gluttony, and that would get him killed by Father two or three times. "Fresh humus! Get your humus, and chips." He blinked, making it up as he went along.

"Ooh, what's a humus?" Gluttony asked. He didn't notice the obvious resemblance to the word 'human'.

Envy grinned and took it to his advantage. "It's sweet, grounded-up berries."

"Ooh!" Gluttony's interest was piqued. "I wanna try."

Father nodded in approval in the background, urging Envy to quickly give the plate to the child. Envy tiptoed over to Gluttony and handed him the plate. "Stuff your face!" Gluttony obeyed instantly, to Envy's surprise. In mere seconds the grounded-up human flesh was devoured. "WHAT THE-" Envy moved his hand away before Gluttony devoured it along with the plate. Before Envy could scream profanities in terror, Father interrupted.

"Good job finding those berries, Envy!" Father clapped. "Now why don't you find some more?"

Envy was disturbed. He turned around and promptly walked up the stairs to his other siblings.

"Hey, where's the plate?" Lust asked, blinking when she saw the horror on Envy's face. "What... just happened?"

"He ate it." Envy shivered.

"Good job!" Lust clapped happily. "We're saved from Father's wrath!"

"No, Lust. No." Envy clutched onto her shoulders and shook her. "He ate the flesh AND the plate."

Lust stared blankly, registered that thought, and her expression became equally disturbed. "What?"

"I'm not kidding!" Envy shrieked. "I'm not going down there again! That thing could eat ME. ENVY."

"Calm down, calm down..." Lust said. "I'll go."

"Need plate?" Sloth was hovering above the bloody mess he left on the floor.

"Yes, please." Lust gulped.

Sloth used his massive hands to scoop cooked human remains out of a large mixing pot. He slapped on as much as the plate could carry. "Here." Lust silently took the plate and headed downstairs.

There were strange growling noises emitting from below. For the first time in ages, Lust felt fear in her heart. She walked slowly and quietly, realizing how inhuman the growls sounded. She expected to see something horrifying, something grotesque... Especially by Envy's typical overreacting.

"Still hungry..." A weak Gluttony spoke. "Hungry, Father..."

"Be patient." Father spoke.

Lust staggered at what she saw. Gluttony was somewhat taller in height, and his body appeared to be normal - it was no longer malnourished. "Bring me humus..." Gluttony pleaded Lust, reaching out to her. "Humus, need humus to live..."

Lust remained as apathetic as she could. She gave Gluttony the plate. She had no idea that Gluttony's small mouth could open that wide. He practically inhaled the entire package, including the plate. Lust's reaction wasn't quick enough to move on time. However, Gluttony paused and didn't try to bite her. He stared upward at her with longing eyes. "Th-thank you..." He said softly. Lust suddenly felt burning in her chest. In his small eyes, he reflected a mutual desire - something Lust could understand, something she could relate to.

"I'll get you more." Lust replied, heading back up the stairs. Father thought she was doing it out of obedience to him, but truthfully, in that moment she had developed a bond with little Gluttony. Whether it was parental instincts or unconscious sibling responsibility, she couldn't tell. All she knew is that she was that child's older sister, and she would protect him even if it killed her.

"Back already?" Envy shivered in disgust. "That little gremlin didn't take your hand off, did he?"

"I'm fine." Lust analyzed her hand. "He's just hungry."

"That thing doesn't disturb you?" Envy scoffed, pointing at the basement.

"No..." Lust said distantly. "In fact, I think he's rather cute." Envy fell over.

"Agree." Sloth commented, scooping more human flesh onto a plate. "Gluttony cute. Little brother cute."

Lust smiled. "He's very cute."

"Am I the ONLY sane one here?" Envy yelled.

"No." Pride said, emerging from the shadows.

"What the heck were you doing in the dark, dude?" Envy looked over at the eldest brother.

"Running some errands for Father." Pride replied. "It was much better than watching him feed some brat."

"I take it you don't like Gluttony too much?" Envy grinned in a joking fashion.

"No." Pride grimaced. "I hate him."

"Seriously?" Envy asked, his eyes widening. "Father will be really mad, you know..."

"That's why I'm staying out of this." Pride turned around and returned into the shadows.

"Ominous." Sloth said.

"Sloth, you don't know what you're saying." Envy sighed.

"You're right." Sloth bowed his head.

Lust returned downstairs with the third plate. This time, Gluttony hadn't grown in height, but he was sitting on the ground. His body remained normal, yet something about him seemed strained. "What's wrong?" Lust asked.

"Full..." Gluttony replied. He placed his hands on his stomach, which actually appeared to be slim.

"That shouldn't be possible." Father argued. "You're Gluttony. How can you be full?" He placed his hands on the child's stomach. Gluttony squirmed away in embarrassment.

"He's been starving for weeks, right?" Lust said. "He might not be used to eating... His stomach may have shrunk."

"His stomach can't shrink." Father said. "It's not a normal stomach."

"I thought you said he was modeled after a human?" Lust said.

"Open up." Father said, poking Gluttony's abdomen.

"Stop, daddy..." Gluttony held onto his stomach. "Don't want to..."

"What are you doing?" Lust felt herself getting angry. "Leave him alone."

"Why are you defying me, Lust?" Father turned around and gave her a stern look.

"There is no defiance." Lust responded firmly. "There is protection."

Father gave her a look of realization. He analyzed her motherly expression. He glanced down at Gluttony, who was giving her a trusting smile. "So that's it... You two have bonded..." He said in delight. "There's been a bond!"

"A bond?" Lust stepped back, since Father rose and approached her quickly.

"I can see it in your eyes." Father said happily. "You two have made a bond of companionship."

"Beg pardon?" Lust frowned.

"This is the first time I've seen anything like it myself..." Father said in awe and fascination. "Very interesting... I feel rejuvenated..." His complexion shone with youth and brilliance as he walked up the stairs. All that food Gluttony was digesting was helping him gain strength. He felt alive once more.

"Gluttony, are you okay?" Lust got on her knees and looked under the table.

"A little..." Gluttony answered, not budging from his spot.

"Does your tummy hurt?" She asked.

"Yes." Gluttony responded in a dismaying tone.

Lust dumped the rest of the plate in the trash can. She got onto her knees once more and held her arms out. "Come, Gluttony."

Gluttony scrambled out from under the table and ran to her. She embraced the tiny child in her arms and cradeled him. "Lust, it hurts..." He wimpered.

"I promise you, Gluttony." Lust said. "I'll take care of you."

**-Author's Notes-**

Gluttony is my favorite character, so I thought he would be a fun way to start off the story. At this point, it should be fairly obvious that the seventh sibling, Wrath, isn't born yet. Therefore, Father still carries that emotion inside of him. It was referenced to once by Lust, in a foreshadowing way. I actually put a lot of thought and meaning into these scenes, so for people who have read the entire manga and followed the story closely, they should spot all these neat details. This chapter ended up being longer than the first chapter. (Oops) I guess it's because it's fun to explore relationship dynamics. I've always wanted to know why Lust and Gluttony in particular are so close, while others are almost always seen separately (specifically, Sloth). This chapter was fun to write. Two in one day!


	3. Chapter III: Relocation

**Chapter III: Relocation**

AntiFiction

10-05-2012

(3)

"Knock, knock." Envy said, opening the door without bothering to knock. "Is he still sleeping?"

"Yeah..." Lust sighed sadly. "Why won't he wake up?"

Little Gluttony was curled up under the covers. He slept so deeply, he barely moved. Lust would occasionally stroke his cheek or kiss his forehead, but he wouldn't respond. Since the day Father had planned to birth him, Gluttony had his own room downstairs, and Lust seemed to have temporarily moved there to keep watch over him, by her own will.

"I honestly don't understand why you're so worried." Envy folded his arms. "We have work to do. Believe it or not, work more important than babysitting."

"He's been asleep for so long..." Lust said in a sorrowful tone.

"It's been thirty minutes." Envy face-palmed. "He's probably trying to digest."

"I feel so bad." Lust buried her face into the covers. "I feel like I did this to him."

"Nah, he did it to himself." Envy sighed. "He could've stopped eating at any time."

"Is he sick?" Lust stressed. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He will be okay if you just leave him be!" Envy said in annoyance, tapping his foot on the ground.

"What if he needs me?" She continued to worry.

"Stop being so concerned." Envy folded his arms. "He's immortal, for crying out loud. He'll be fine!"

"Will he?" She asked quietly.

"He will." Envy assured her.

Lust didn't budge. Her firm hands clutched onto the covers. "Gluttony?" She called. "Are you there, Gluttony?"

"For crying out loud..." Envy raged. "I'm leaving." He slammed the door on the way out.

Gluttony jolted at the loud sound. His eyes flew open. "Lust! Hi Lust!"

"Gluttony!" Lust cheered in triumph. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." Gluttony smiled. "I don't hurt anymore."

"Thank goodness..." Lust partially collapsed. She was on her knees, but she lowered herself onto the floor, exhausted from being in the same position for half an hour. "You had me so worried..."

Gluttony blinked. "Why?"

"You were sick for so long." Lust said. "It was my fault. I starved you."

Gluttony shook his head. "Not your fault, Lust. I couldn't eat."

Lust still couldn't deal with the remorse she was feeling. It wouldn't go away, no matter how much Gluttony forgave her or put the responsibility upon herself. She was older - she knew better. Father gave her an adorable baby brother, and it was her duty to protect him with her life. Granted, the responsibility was supposed to be shared amongst all the siblings, but Lust seemed to be the most suitable guardian for helpless little Gluttony.

Envy slammed the door open, "Sorry for returning so soon, but Father wants to have another family meeting."

"We just had one..." Lust stared blankly.

"Now that he's feeling better, I bet he has work to give us." Envy groaned. "You know how it goes."

Lust sighed and got up. "I'll be back later, Glut-"

"Oh no, he's coming." Envy interrupted. "Father's orders."

"What?" Lust became angry. "He's still young. He's never been out on errands. Also, he's been sick for several weeks. He's had no time to recover!"

"Father will have my head if you don't bring him." Envy folded his arms.

Lust sighed. She knew what Father was capable of: anything. She held out her gloved hand, "Let's go, Gluttony." The small child stared up at her blankly. Soon, he gave a trusting expression and held his small hand out to grasp hers. Lust helped him up out of the bed. "Are you okay? Hurting anywhere?" She continued asking. She never wanted to see him in so much pain again.

Gluttony giggled, "I'm fine."

Lust's heart fluttered. She got so happy when he was acting cute. "It's time to see Father, then."

"Yay, Father!" Gluttony clapped, following Lust, watching her as she towered over him. Envy led the way, Lust lagged behind him, and Gluttony followed behind them.

Father's booming voice was audible from the basement. As they walked up to the throne room, Father was yelling at Pride and Sloth. Initially, he seemed to be angry at them, but the truth was that he was enraged about another issue. "Why must Greed do his own activities?" Father fumed. "Granted it's not his curfew, but I never know when a meeting is about to take place!"

"I'm so sorry about his irresponsibility, Father." Pride bowed his head sadly. "Would you like me to hunt him down?"

"That won't be necessary." Father sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "It looks like everyone else is here, so let's start the meeting." Pride and Sloth both turned to face Envy, Lust, and Gluttony. The children stared at each other, studying each other's features and expressions, in the silence between family members. To break the awkwardness, Father spoke, "We need to move."

"Move?" Pride's eyebrows shot up.

"But I like this place." Sloth protested as well as he could.

"Granted, it's nice to live in such an evil-looking lair, but... I don't think we could get any closer to our goals if we stay here." Father admitted.

"You said it was best to be isolated from the world at this point in our development." Envy protested. "The world just isn't ready for us yet!

"That day will never come unless we move closer to civilization." Father explained. "We're too isolated. Humans don't come here, and it takes long-distance trips to human civilization."

"What's happening, Lust?" Gluttony whispered. He was born very recently, in the past thirty years and he had never been outside of the lair.

"We're going to leave." Lust tried to explain.

"Leave where, Lust?" Gluttony asked. This was the only world he knew. He didn't even know there was an outside.

"Closer to the humans." Lust replied.

"... But they taste weird!" Gluttony frowned.

"This is, like, our nursery." Envy continued his argument. "We've been living in the uninhabitable zone since we were born, and you've been living here since even before that!"

"I don't care what attachments we have here." Father said. "We must move on if we want to achieve our goals."

"Where would we go?" Envy asked. "Where would we live?"

"The most powerful place that we know of." Father said. "Amestris."

Everyone flinched, except Gluttony, who had no clue what was going on. "What's Amestris?" His small voice echoed in the vast chamber.

"It's the country west of us." Lust answered.

"Oh." Gluttony put his finger in his mouth.

"How the heck are we going to blend into Amestris?" Envy asked. "We're not exactly normal. In fact, we're not even human. How do we infiltrate such a mighty place?"

Father didn't bother explaining his logic. Instead, he enjoyed physically demonstrating his plans in epic fashions. He turned around dramatically. "Sloth." The muscular creature had fallen asleep standing up... again. That killed such a perfect moment. "Sloth." Father repeated.

"SLOTH!" Everyone called, unleashing a burst of sound that deafened everyone.

Sloth's eyes opened. "Yes?"

"I want you to dig a tunnel from here to Amestris." Father said, talking loudly because he could barely hear himself. "That will let us infiltrate it without anyone expecting us."

"Sloth work?" He asked.

"Yes, Sloth." Father repeated. "You have to work."

"Don't wanna." Sloth groaned. "But must."

"Start here." Father tapped the ground with his foot. "Dig your way to Amestris."

Sloth demolished the throne with one easy shove and began to dig deep into the earth. It was only after the throne got smashed to bits that Father realized he pointed out the wrong place. He wasn't sure whether to grieve the loss of his precious throne, or to look forward to building a newer, better one. The indecisive reaction resulted in him staring with his mouth agape, holding out a twitching hand and staring at the rubble.

"How does he know how to get to Amestris if he can't see what the ground above looks like?" Envy asked.

Father regained his composure quickly. "His sense of direction is amazing. He always knows where he is, even when he's underground."

"How do you know that?" Envy asked.

"... I switched his intelligence out in favor for that incredible sense of direction." Father confessed. Everyone stared blankly, in astonishment, wondering why that seemed like a logical trade at the time. Before anyone could retaliate, Father said in defense. "Worth it."

"Why do I get the feeling it's going to take him ten years to plow his way to Amestris underground?" Envy groaned. "He's slow as hell when he's working."

"It may take some time." Father agreed, stroking his chin. "For now, we'll follow him above, on ground level."

"Above us is the uninhabitable desert zone." Lust reminded him. "Yes, the heat won't kill us, but do we want to suffer such a long, treacherous journey?"

"By the way, where does Greed go to find all those human women that he likes to-" Envy was saying, but Lust threw her hand over his mouth before he could finish the sentence.

"Small child, Envy." Lust pointed at Gluttony. "Small. Child." Gluttony stared with curiosity, but didn't ask any questions about the outburst.

"The nearest town." Father replied with a straight face.

"A town in the uninhabitable zone?" Lust face-palmed at the counter-intuitive logic. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of calling it uninhabitable?"

"We're not that far from human civilization." Father explained. "Only enough for it to be a serious inconvenience for us."

"Is it the outskirts of Amestris?" Envy asked, shaking his fist at Lust for touching him earlier.

"Yes." Father said. "Let's get going."

"Wait." Envy held out his hands in effort to stop his father from going anywhere. "What about Greed?"

"That's right, he isn't here..." Lust noticed. "Won't he return to an empty home?"

"That will teach him a lesson about wandering off so frequently." Father muttered. "He's always next door, so it's not like he'll be lost and alone forever. He will find us eventually, in good time."

"Brilliant!" Gluttony grinned.

"Let's go." Father led them to the edge of the room that was hidden in darkness. He glanced at Pride, whose shadows were extending much further than they ever had in his long lifespan of growth.

"Gross, Pride!" Envy stuck his tongue out. "Your shadows are showing."

"What are those?" Gluttony cowered behind Lust.

"They're just his insides." Lust sighed. "Nothing to be scared of. He's harmless."

"So scary." Gluttony clinged to Lust's dress. "I don't like it."

Father unexpectedly stopped in midstep. In response, all the Homunculi following him went still and stumbled on each other in the dark. "Pride." Father called out sternly. Suddenly, the siblings realized they were surrounded by several gaping mouths and menacing eyes. They all clinged to each other in terror. "Were you going to kill them?" Father's looks themselves could kill.

In the background, Pride stared forward with creepy innocence. "Of course not." He lied, giving a pitiful stare at them.

"I will not tolerate such behavior." Father said. "Are you working for me, or are you not?"

"I am the most loyal to you, Father." Pride said confidently.

"... Then please leave." Father said.

"What?" Pride's eyes widened. "Leave? But Father... I've never been on my own. I've never been away from you. Please don't do this."

"You won't be alone." Father pointed to the tunnel. "Accompany Sloth. Guard the tunnels that he paves. Destroy anyone you see."

Pride's lip quivered. "But Father... I don't want to be away from you..."

"GO!" Father demanded.

Pride bowed in respect, and turned around. He looked into the deep tunnel, hearing the gloomy sound that wind made when it traveled through. He shed a tear that nobody saw, and climbed inside.

"Was Pride actually going to kill us?" Envy asked after he left.

Father turned around to look at his three children. "I don't know."

In silence, they emerged from their underground lair to the arid region above. Father rotated in a circle to analyze his surroundings. He set off in a seemingly random direction. He left so quickly, his children nearly got lost in a matter of seconds.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Envy called out, shielding his eyes from the sandy particles that were carried by the wind.

"Oasis." Father responded. "The border between the desert and Amestris."

"If you say so." Envy coughed. "It's hard to breathe out here."

"So hot." Gluttony complained. "I don't like it."

"It is." Lust loved this weather. Her skin could blister and burn, and yet she'd love every moment of it. She wasn't a fan of rain or snow. She enjoyed the sun. Gluttony and Envy, on the other hand, were panting.

"It's a brief trip." Father called back to Envy and Gluttony, who were suffering in the heat. "We'll be there soon."

"Such a pity." Lust groaned. "It's perfect weather."

The journey was indeed brief. In mere minutes, the sun began to set, and night began to cool them off. Now everyone was cold. Father clung onto his long cloaks, and Envy tried wrapping himself in them while they walked. Lust and Gluttony held onto each other, shivering and walking in unison. Gluttony was tall enough to reach her hips after his most recent meal.

"I'm hungry." Gluttony said when the sun had set.

"We're almost there." Father said. "Oasis is just ahead."

**-Author's Notes-**

I decided to split this chapter into two again. Technically, I made four chapters in one day. That's insane. I think it makes the chapters more readable. Once I got the plot going with moving out to Amestris, it became difficult to NOT complete it. As for the characters, I'm really glad with how they're turning out so far. I wasn't expecting Sloth to be comedy relief. I'll admit it right now. I'm not an Envy fan. However, while trying to depict his character, I ended up liking him a whole lot more than I ever have. In fact, I'm starting to like them all equally now that I've tried to write about them. I'm sorry - I know I can write a lot, very quickly. That's normal. Well, read and review, it'll make my day. I like how this is going, so updates will be swift.


	4. Chapter IV: Oasis

**Chapter IV: Oasis**

AntiFiction

10-05-2012

(4)

They were silent for the great majority of the trip. They were tested against the elements, which was never a pleasant experience. It tired them out much quicker, because of the temperature change. It also made the walk seem much longer than it actually was.

"A light!" Envy cried out. "I see a light!"

"What if it's a mirage?" Lust asked.

"DAMN YOU, I SEE A LIGHT!" Envy screamed.

"Oh wait, I see it too." Lust chimed.

"Me too!" Gluttony hopped.

"That's Oasis." Father said. "We're almost there."

"YES!" Envy exclaimed. "Envy was right!"

"Finally, warmth!" Lust shivered.

"FOOOOOOOOD!" Gluttony cheered and ran ahead of them.

"You're going to tire yourself out." Father called. In mere seconds, Gluttony fell flat on his face. "We're not going to carry you."

"So hungry, though..." Gluttony muffled. "Sand tastes bad." He tried brushing it off his tongue.

"How does Greed make this trip every day?" Envy groaned. "I'm exhausted!"

"Desperation." Lust teased.

"What happened to the whole... small child thing?" Envy frowned.

"His face is buried in sand." Lust said. "He can't hear us."

"Tastes bad." Gluttony was trying to get sand off his tongue without much success. "Help, daddy."

"Come on." Father held out his hand and helped the child up. "We'll get you food soon."

Lust and Envy were having some dirty conversation in the background. Father was appalled, but Gluttony couldn't understand a word they were saying. The innuendos flew over his head. Once they were close enough to the palm trees, they were technically in Amestris.

"We're here." Father said, interrupting a heated debate in the background.

"Yay!" Gluttony threw his hands up in the air.

"Hey Envy, you know what would be great?" Lust grinned.

"What?" Envy glanced over.

"You should do your hair like that." Lust pointed to the towering palm trees.

"Come on, you can't be serious." Envy said. "That would look ridiculous!"

"Not as ridiculous as that pony tail." Lust laughed.

"What, you think having palm tree hair would make me look hip?" Envy asked.

"Yeah." Lust held onto her stomach, trying to stop her laughter.

"Hmmm..." Envy studied the trees intently. After getting some visuals in his head, he shapeshifted his hair to resemble them. His straight hair jutted out like fronds in several directions. Lust's laughter became more hysterical. "You said it'd be cool!" Envy yelled, attempting to kick her.

Lust dodged him with her razor-sharp, extendable fingernails. "It looked great in my head, but..." She continued laughing.

"I actually like it." Envy held onto a floating strand of hair. "Yeah!"

"Envy, stop playing with your hair." Father said. "People are staring."

Sure enough, several witnesses watched Envy's magical, morphing hair. Dozens of phrases were thrown around, the most popular one being, "Was that alchemy? I can't believe that was alchemy!" Envy grinned. "These puny humans are really inflating my ego. They make something so easy out to be something impossible."

"It's just because they're doubters." Lust explained. "I think it would be best not to draw attention to ourselves, though. We're as bizarre enough as it is."

"We'll stay the night at Oasis Inn." Father told them. "Please, no wreckless or inhuman behavior. It will spoil our entire plan."

"Isn't it impossible for a non-human to act human?" Envy twitched.

"It's possible." Father said. "Most of you is human, anyway."

Envy grumbled under his breath in disagreement, but Lust and Gluttony nodded in agreement.

Inside the inn, Father went to pay for the two rooms. Before he spoke to anyone, he turned to Lust and handed her some money. "There's a restaurant here on the first floor. Please feed Gluttony. I'm starting to feel weak."

"Okay." Lust took the money and slipped it into her cleavage for safe keeping. Gluttony was staring the entire time, but it didn't make her feel weird... until she realized that Envy was staring too. She smacked Envy. "That's for the weird conversation we had earlier."

"You're so violent, woman." Envy yapped. "Now my head hurts."

"Come on, Gluttony." She held out her hand, and he took it. "Let's get you some food."

"Yay, food!" Gluttony cheered.

"I think I have a concussion." Envy groaned, rubbing his head.

"You can come if you want." Lust offered.

"Come, Envy!" Gluttony agreed happily.

Envy sighed and followed. "Only if you stop hitting me."

In the restaurant, Lust carefully examined the menu. She wasn't sure if Gluttony had ever tried anything they offered. "Hey Gluttony, have you ever tried steak?" She asked.

"What's that?" Gluttony blinked.

"I'll take that as a no." She continued flipping through the pages. "How about fish?"

"What's a fish?" Gluttony tilted his head.

"Nope." She continued flipping. "Salad?"

"Wha?" Gluttony looked confused.

Lust groaned. "Envy. If you had a stomach, what would you eat?"

"I'm a shapeshifter." Envy said. "I can make myself a stomach."

"Oh." Lust blinked. "What do you want to eat, then?"

"Why do you ask?" Envy folded his arms.

"If Gluttony doesn't like something, I don't want it to go to waste." Lust said.

"He's Gluttony." Envy pouted. "He's supposed to be capable of eating every known material on Earth."

"Please, Envy?" Lust sighed. "Choose something that you're okay with eating?"

"Fine, whatever." Envy glanced at the menu for a few seconds. "Chicken."

"You're sure?" Lust asked.

"Yeah, it's okay." Envy said. "It's the closest to human that they've got on the menu. I'm sure Gluttony would like the substitute."

"I don't like humans!" Gluttony stuck out his tongue. "I like humus!"

Envy wasn't about to burst his bubble if he wanted to see the dawn of a new day. Telling Gluttony that humus was humans would probably break his little mind. Lust also prevented herself from giving that secret away.

"Do you want chicken?" Lust asked.

"What's chicken?" Gluttony asked.

"It's a bird." Envy replied.

"Bird?" Gluttony said. "Chirp chirp?"

"Yeah!" Envy grinned.

"Dead bird?" Gluttony tilted his head.

"Yup!" Envy was still grinning.

"Hmm..." Gluttony thought. "Okay."

"Sold!" Envy slammed the menu down. "Buy the chicken, Boobs." Lust smacked Envy so hard, he broke the chair when he landed. Gluttony stared with his jaw dropped open. "Small child! Violence!" Envy squeaked from the floor.

"Be back, sweetie." Lust patted Gluttony's head. She swiftly left to buy the food.

Gluttony's eyes watered up. "Envy still alive?"

"Yeah, Envy lives..." Envy groaned and propped himself upright. He pulled up a new chair. "Damn that hurt." He rubbed the back of his head. "I think she killed me once or twice just now."

"Uh-oh!" Gluttony had never died before, but all of his siblings had experienced it at least once by this point. He was worried, because he heard that it hurt to die. "Want me to kiss it better?"

"... Are you serious?" Envy glared at him.

"Yes!" Gluttony stared. "Serious!" Without warning, he leaned over and planted a small kiss on Envy's arm. "There!"

Envy's eyes went wide. He never received any affection from his other siblings. "Why, thank you." He blushed.

"You're welcome!" Gluttony said with increasing determination. "I want big brother Envy to get better."

"I'm not actually your brother." Envy scratched the back of his head. "I'm not really your sister, either."

"Huh?" Gluttony tilted his head.

"I was made special." Envy said softly, which was unusual for him. "I'm just your older sibling..." He glanced over, wondering if Gluttony would accept, or even understand, what he just said.

"Envy has no gender?" Gluttony asked.

"That's right!" Envy grinned. "Father made me without it."

Gluttony smiled. "So you're my sither?"

"Sister-brother?" Envy blinked. "Sure!" He started getting attached to the little kid. "Say, when did you get so smart so quickly?"

"I ate." Gluttony smiled. "It helped me think."

"You know what?" Envy tilted his head and analyzed the simplistic facial features of his younger brother. "You really are cute... Lust was right about something for once."

"Thank you." Gluttony blushed.

"Chicken." Lust set the plate down on the table. "Do you two think you can eat all this?"

"No problem." Envy said. "Say, how did they react when you pulled money out of your boobs?"

Lust folded her arms. "I don't have any pockets on me. Where else was I supposed to put it?"

"You could have had Gluttony swallow it and regurgitate it for you." Envy suggested.

"His stomach doesn't work backwards." Lust face-palmed. "Otherwise, that would be a great idea."

"I had pockets." Envy said. They were both silent for several seconds.

"You had to tell me that now?" Lust fumed.

"Sorry." Envy picked at a piece of chicken. "You were too busy killing me."

Lust sat down beside Gluttony and Envy, and placed her head down on the table. "Lust?" Gluttony poked her, even though she wouldn't move.

"She's embarrassed." Envy chuckled.

"Why?" Gluttony frowned.

"You don't get it, do you?" Envy snickered.

"No..." Gluttony pondered.

"Ah well, eat up." Envy handed him a piece of chicken.

Gluttony sniffed it, trying to pick up that strange, unique scent. Blood. How he loved blood. It reminded him of the humus. He quickly devoured that single piece, and went on to take most of them. Envy was a slow eater, casually taking a long time to chew even the smallest bites. He stared off into the distance, deep in thought, while Gluttony devoured with no thought. After a while, Lust watched them, probably feeling left out. "What's it like?" She finally asked.

"What's what like?" Envy replied casually.

"What's it like to eat?" Lust asked, staring at Envy intently.

"It's great." Envy answered, chewing a little faster.

"No." Lust flustered when she didn't get the answer she wanted. "Tell me what it's like."

"Well..." Envy pondered. "I guess a great analogy is filling a void."

"Huh?" Lust said, closely analyzing Envy's features. "I don't see a void."

"There's a void inside." Envy said. "A stomach is a void. It usually has nothing in it. When you eat, you're giving it something."

"What's it like to fill a void?" Lust continued asking.

"It's like..." Envy tried to put it in terms Lust would understand. "Getting what you desire."

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Now I really feel like I'm missing out." She pouted.

"Can't eat anymore." Gluttony said. He sprawled out his arms and yawned.

"Don't eat then." Envy continued chewing slowly. "You left two pieces. How generous."

"What happened to Gluttony?" Lust's eyes widened.

"Hmm?" Envy tilted his head.

"His belly's big." Lust poked Gluttony. He held onto it with a _"Do not want"_ face. "What happened to him?" She asked.

"Well, where did you think all the chicken went?" Envy asked.

"Inside?" Lust thought out loud, tapping her chin.

"That's right." Envy said. "Chicken filled the void."

"Oh..." Lust cast her gaze on the remaining chicken on the table. "I think I'm starting to understand."

"Full, Lust." Gluttony said, tugging on her arm.

"Does it hurt?" Lust asked, her worrysome expression returning.

"No." Gluttony said. "Just full."

"He's figuring it all out." Envy said. "He'll start telling you everything about everything, because he's a child. Not everything he says is a problem, in fact, none of it even has to make sense. He just wants your attention."

"So cute." Lust said quietly. "Why are children cute?"

"I don't know." Envy replied. "I used to think they were annoying."

"Me too..." Lust said.

Father entered the restaurant, and instantly found his three children. "I got our rooms. It's time to sleep. We've come a long way."

"Okay." Envy stuffed the other two pieces of chicken in his mouth and left.

"Tired, Lust." Gluttony said, tugging on her arm again.

"I don't know if I can pick you up." Lust said, attempting to.

"I'll take him." Father offered, scooping the toddler up into his arms. Despite the weight he packed on, Father was still able to sweep him up easily. "You've grown." He blinked, primarily staring at the child's bloated abdomen.

"That's normal, right?" Lust asked.

"Yes." Father said. "After thirty years, it's about time." Gluttony knew they were talking about him. He just happily wrapped his arms around his loving father and enjoyed listening to their voices as they spoke.

Father had his own room, while the three siblings shared one. There were two beds, so of course, Lust and Envy were fighting over them. Gluttony was on one bed, holding onto his recently filled stomach and watching them argue. "Lust sleep here?" Gluttony pointed to the bed he was on.

"That would be perfect, actually." Envy said. The entire argument was over the fact that Envy tolerated only sleeping alone, while Lust argued over who would take up more space sleeping next to Gluttony - she wanted the child to have as much space as he needed.

Lust seemed frazzled. "I'll take up the whole bed. I'm an adult." She was physically eighteen years old, in human years. After all, she was 180.

"I'd take up just as much." Envy counter-argued. On the other hand, he was 105 years old. He had the mentality of a ten-year-old human, but a lot more wisdom and maturity since he was created with an older body. He had never been a child, and neither had Lust.

"Lust, please?" Gluttony pleaded. "Sleep here?" He continued patting the bed.

"Aw, look." Envy pointed. "He likes you."

That remark made Lust instantly give in. "Fine. I'll sleep here." She collapsed face-first onto the bed.

"Yay, Lust!" Gluttony cheered. "Under the covers, Lust. It's cold."

"Oh yeah." Lust remembered she had been shivering, and she crawled inside.

"NIGHT." Envy shut out the lights, and snored deeply instantly. In pitch darkness, it was extremely annoying, since sound seemed louder once vision was removed from the equation.

Lust groaned, "I hate your snoring, Envy." She breathed slowly and shivered, trying to warm up.

"Nighty, Lust." Gluttony said softly.

A grin spread across her face. She loved how high-pitched his voice was. "Night, Gluttony."

**-Author's Notes-**

Four chapters in one day. Wow. The reason is that I decided to split chapter three (which was really long) into two short chapters. I like this friendship triangle with Envy, Lust, and Gluttony. It's manga canon. In fact, I think it's also 2003 and 2009 anime canon. It's canon everywhere. It's fun to see their interactions and dynamics as a group. I hope I'm living up to the expectations of this story being humorous. (With a few good serious moments, of course.) I'll continue with quick updates. Read and review, please! It makes for great inspiration.


	5. Chapter V: Fetch

**Chapter V: Fetch**

AntiFiction

10-06-2012

(5)

"I'M BACK, BITCHES!" Greed busted the door open with a roundhouse kick. It slammed off the hinges and crash-landed into a pile of debris on the floor. "Who's ready to par-tay with the GREED?" He called out. "Lust, baby, c'mon I know you want it." Suddenly, he realized it was too quiet. "Um, Lust? Old Man? Envy? Uh..." He looked around.

There was a gaping hole in the ground where Sloth dug in. "Ah, come on." Greed ran over to where the throne used to be. "Hey, Sloth! Did you finally drag the Old Man down into hell? Are we finally free?" There was silence. "Sloth? HELLOOOOO?" He removed his sunglasses to see, but the tunnel went down so deep, it was pitch-dark. "Can ANYONE hear me?"

"Shh." Pride crawled out of the tunnel. He was covered in soot, and his hair was messy. He tried brushing himself off, and he was coughing.

"Now that's a disturbing sight." Greed folded his arms. "A little kid crawling out of a pit."

"I'm older than you." Pride reminded him. "I'm 230 years old." He was the equivalent of twenty-three human years, and yet he maintained the appearance of a young boy.

"Psh, so what if I'm one-hundred years younger?" Greed threw his arms up. "Who cares?"

"I don't tolerate anyone talking down to me." Pride said with a glare. Normally, this would be intimidating, but Greed smirked.

"I'm so scared." Greed yawned. "I'm jumping out of my skin, man. Anything but the shadows of death and despair. Oh no. Ohhhh noooo..."

"Are you mocking me?" Pride scoffed.

"Yeah." Greed snickered. "You're funny."

"Three seconds." Pride said.

"Beg pardon?" Greed said.

"Three seconds until I destroy you." Pride replied.

"I'm so sc-" Greed tried to say, but the enveloping shadows tore down on him. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of them. Greed yelped in surprise, as Pride slammed down several menacing mouths on his younger brother. Eventually, Greed lied dead on the floor, completely dismembered. Slowly, he regenerated back into his original form. "WHAT THE HELL - that actually hurt!" He rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's a warning." Pride said.

"I can't believe you actually killed me." Greed frowned. "We're technically on the same team. We're brothers, after all."

"We're not brothers." Pride grimaced.

"Um, let's do a reality check here." Greed said. "Father has an immense Philosopher's Stone for a heart. He took off a chunk of it to make you. One-hundred years later, he took another chunk off to make me. What does that make us?"

"Pawns." Pride said.

"No." Greed face-palmed. "Brothers. We came from the same parent."

"Not everyone sees things the way you do, Greed." Pride turned around, preparing to climb back down the pit.

"Say that to yourself, Pride." Greed sneered. "You're the only one who thinks differently from us." Pride shot a horrible glare. Greed narrowed his eyes and replied with a shark-toothed grin. "Crawl back to the pit from hence you came." Pride grimaced and jumped in. "Dammit, that was a crazy distraction." Greed groaned, still rubbing the back of his neck. "Where the hell is everyone? Did they even leave a note?"

Soon, he was wandering around the house looking for one. After all, they weren't upstairs, they weren't in the basement, they weren't in the bedrooms, they weren't in the nooks and crannies. They vanished entirely. "Am I free?" Greed kept asking himself. "Did they seriously run away from me?" He became excited at the thought. "Will I never see them again?" That would be the best-case scenario. His rebellious spirit inside celebrated at the thought of their disappearances. It was cut short by a huge explosion.

The back wall completely collapsed, resulting in partial collapse of most of the ceiling. Greed tried dodging the falling material, but he kept dying. He lied as a bloody mess on the floor, yet without fail, his dismembered limbs grew back. He coughed and angrily sat up. "WHO DID THAT?"

Sloth stared blankly at Greed. He stared at the pit he dug. He stared back at Greed. He stared at the front door. He stared at the gigantic crater he made in the wall. He turned around and stared at the tunnel he made. He turned around again to see the entry he made. He glanced back at the exit, back at the entry, back at the exit. He stared blankly. "Sloth just went in circles."

"Yes, you did." Greed couldn't help but laugh at the stupidity, in an annoyed way. "Have you ever dug a tunnel before?"

"No." Sloth scratched his head. "But always wanted to try."

"Dammit, Sloth, you made me die a lot." Greed pounded his fist into the ground. "Do you know how expensive I am?"

"Uhh..." Sloth stared. "A lot?"

"I'm pretty valuable." Greed sighed. "Damnation, just when I thought I was free from my whacked-up family, now I need to go crawling back to 'Dad' to fix myself."

"Sounds fun." Sloth said.

"This is all your fault." Greed glared. "Do you realize that?"

"Huh?" Sloth tilted his head.

"You made me run out of lives." Greed repeated.

"Sorry." Sloth responded. "I just dig."

Greed face-palmed. "Speaking of the Old Man, where the hell is he?"

"He left." Sloth answered.

"That never happens!" Greed frowned. "Where did he go?"

"Amestris." Sloth said. "I go there, too. Through tunnel."

Greed stared blankly. "You mean... I WAS JUST THERE!" He fumed. "ARE YOU SERIOUS, SLOTH?"

"Yeah." Sloth said. "Serious."

Greed silently tightened his fists. "Alright. That's the game he wants to play. Fetch."

"Fetch?" Sloth's eyes widened and he perked up. "Play fetch?"

"Yeah, Sloth!" Greed sneered. "Let's play fetch!"

"Fetch!" Sloth grinned.

Meanwhile, at the inn, the three siblings were fast asleep well into the morning. They were exhausted from their journey, even though they were only hiking for two hours. The thermal conditions made it feel like much longer. They all seemed to regain consciousness at the same time. After all, it wasn't in their nature to sleep - it was an emergency state to slip into when critical energy levels were low. Only Sloth could sleep naturally, like a human. The rest of them only did so if they desperately needed to recharge.

"Mmm, I think I got bruises..." Envy groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "You're so violent, Lust."

"Hmm?" She lifted her head up, her hair was wavy and messy, curling in all sorts of directions.

"Hee hee, you look funny, Lust." Gluttony giggled.

"Not again." Lust pouted, touching her hair and trying to calm it down. "I couldn't stop tossing and turning."

"How come?" Gluttony asked.

"I was dreaming..." Lust said. "I've never dreamed before."

"You've never slept before." Envy added.

"I didn't even know it was possible until I was so tired." Lust said.

There was a small growl under the covers. "I'm hungry." Gluttony commented. "Hungry, Lust." He tugged on her arm.

"You ate so much last night, though." Lust said. "How can you be hungry already?"

"He spent all the energy." Envy explained. "He needs to get more now."

"You mean it doesn't just stay?" Lust asked.

"No, it's burned off." Envy said.

Gluttony pushed the covers off, and to his surprise, his stomach was virtually the same size as it was last night. "Food still there?" He questioned, holding onto his stomach.

"It didn't go anywhere, Envy." Lust said. "Look."

"What...?" Envy said. "No way. I burned my weight off."

"If food still there... why am I hungry?" Gluttony frowned.

"I don't know." Lust seemed troubled.

"You're still growing, so if you're hungry, eat." Envy said.

"Father said he'll always be growing, though." Lust said. "Shouldn't there be a limit to how much he eats?"

"He's Gluttony." Envy reminded her. "He's capable of eating as much as he wants, whenever he wants."

"Still hungry." Gluttony frowned.

"He's getting taller, too." Lust noted. "He's almost up to my waist."

"I noticed that." Envy said. "It's weird how quickly he grows. Is that a bad thing? Or is that how he's built?"

"Maybe we should ask Father." Lust said.

Gluttony frowned. "I just want to eat."

"Should we call room service?" Envy asked.

"Sure, I still have change from yesterday." Lust flicked her chest and money fell onto the bed. Envy's eyes went huge.

"Yay, money!" Gluttony cheered.

"Once again, I have pockets!" Envy face-palmed. Lust was too busy ordering room service on the phone to respond.

"Why Envy embarrassed?" Gluttony asked innocently. "Why Lust embarrassed?"

"It's... something you'll learn when you're older, kid." Envy replied.

Gluttony frowned. "I want to know."

Envy changed the subject. "I wonder why you don't have hair. Also, you're soft, like a baby." Envy's fingers lightly brushed against Gluttony's face.

Gluttony blushed. "I don't know why..."

"Also, you're fattening up really quick." Envy said. "Is it because you have all this new access to food?"

"I think so..." Gluttony blushed even more.

"I don't get it." Envy said. "Why are you so embarrassed?"

Gluttony put his finger in his mouth and thought. He came up with the most brilliant remark. "I'll tell you when you're older, Envy."

"Why you-" Envy burst out laughing. "Smart little kid!"

"Food will be here soon." Lust assured Gluttony.

He responded with a small smile. "Thank you, Lust."

There was a knock on the door. "It's your Father."

Envy jumped off the bed and rushed to open the door. "Hello, Father."

Lust was serenely perched on the bed, her hair falling over her shoulder gracefully, despite its frizziness. "How are you today?"

Gluttony was grinning, "Daddy!" He held his arms out.

"I know it's early, but I believe it's time to start moving." Father said. "I suspect that Greed is trying to find us, and not with good intentions."

Lust's eyebrows shot up. "What makes you think that?"

"It just seems that he's close." Father replied. "I have a way of finding out everything."

"He knows everything..." Gluttony whispered, partially hiding himself under the covers.

"What do you think a guy like Greed could do to us?" Envy cackled. "He's just a rogue soldier. He's nothing to worry about - he's not even a threat. Right?"

Father glanced protectively at Envy, Lust, and Gluttony. "I don't want anything to happen to any of you. I still have great plans for you."

"Room service?" Someone in the background spoke.

"Thank you." Father took the trays of food, passed them to Envy, who passed them to Lust, and eventually passed them to Gluttony. "I get the feeling that there's quarreling between the six of you. I truly don't like it when you kids fight. I don't understand why your differences can't be resolved." Lust passed over the money to Father, who paid the human as he continued his conversation. There were some suspicious looks before the human left.

"We get along great." Envy pointed to his two siblings. "Lust, Gluttony, and I."

"Pride has this jealousy, I believe." Father stroked his chin. "Greed is selfish - he could care less about anyone else. Sloth... I don't know what he's thinking."

"Does he even think?" Envy's eyebrow rose.

"I don't know." Father admitted. "My greatest wishes are for you all to unite for the common purpose of serving me. That would be the ideal situation in life."

"I wish for that, too." Envy said. "I'm so tired of all this unnecessary madness. It would work out better if we cooperated in unison."

"It's times like these where individuality becomes a nuisance." Lust sighed.

"I like everyone." Gluttony said, licking the trays clean. "I like Lust. I like Envy. I like Pride. I like Sloth. I like Greed."

"Pride and Greed definitely don't like us back, Gluttony." Envy responded.

"It's hard to tell with Sloth." Lust said. "He's some kind of blank slate."

Suddenly, Father felt a stong presence off in the distance, which was approaching rapidly. Thick, murky blackness, soaring invisibly at an alarming rate. It was somewhere underground, or perhaps, it was above them. Father was silent, closing his eyes to concentrate on the vibes of the presence. "Speaking of which, Pride is here."

"What?" Envy's eyes widened.

"Father!" Pride suddenly rushed in through the doors. "I finally found you!" The small child immediately clutched onto his Father's robes fearfully.

Envy cringed in disgust, stepping back towards the bed. Lust uncrossed her legs and stared with curiosity. Gluttony placed the empty trays down and rubbed his belly.

"What happened, Pride?" Father asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm so glad I got here on time." Pride breathed. "Greed, he's going to stir up trouble."

"I knew it." Father hissed. "How bad?"

"He's convinced Sloth into a game of fetch." Pride said. "A Homunculus-Versus-Homunculus battle."

"In the outskirts of Amestris?" Father frowned. "That definitely doesn't please me. It would prevent us to move in for another hundred years. I do NOT want that to happen." In anger, he left the room and rushed to the outside of the inn. Pride eagerly followed him, trying to catch up with him as he sped over to the outskirts of Oasis.

"Oh man, what do we do?" Envy asked, looking back at his two comrades.

"It's hard to say." Lust said, swaying side-to-side slightly. "Either fight and be prematurely revealed to the world, or fight in the desert and risk serious injury."

"Damn that Greed." Envy hissed. "It's lose-lose. I really can't see a way that everyone can make it out of this okay."

"Why is he even fighting us?" Gluttony asked. "Doesn't he know we're siblings?"

"Obviously." Envy said. "I think he has resentment towards us and Father. I don't know why."

"It's the same problem with Pride." Lust added. "What is it with those two?"

"I guess we'll find out." Envy got up, followed by Lust. "Come on, Gluttony."

Gluttony struggled to stand on his tiny legs. He was starting to look slightly rounded in shape. He grasped onto the bed to maintain balance, until he got the hang of it, and left the room with his siblings.

On the other side of town, Greed approached Oasis with Sloth. He was hitching a free ride on his giant brother's shoulder. Sloth dragged himself along in the heat, completely oblivious to it. He was very tolerant to desert conditions, and didn't need as much water to fuel him. Greed, on the other hand, always packed an abundance of drinks to make the crossing.

"Damn, man." Greed gulped down another flask of water. "You sure you're not thirsty, big guy?"

"I'm fine." Sloth said.

"Are you enjoying this game of fetch?" Greed asked.

"Boring." Sloth replied. "Nothing happened yet."

"In good time." Greed grinned. "Let's head over to the opposite side. I get a feeling they took the long way. They don't even know about this shortcut."

"Heh." Sloth chuckled.

As they approached, faint shadows swayed in the desert sun. Greed stared blankly, registering what this meant. "DAMNATION, Pride followed us here."

"Pride?" Sloth tilted his head. "Pride's here?"

"Look at the shadows." Greed grunted. "It's the bastard's trademark."

"Huh." Sloth stared down at the mesmerizing shadows, and he was almost tempted to try to catch them.

"Does that mean he found Father first?" Greed frowned. "This does not please me."

"Pride." Sloth repeated. "Why here?"

"Good question, actually." Greed said. "All I want is to fetch my renewal from 'Dad' over there."

Standing in line, in chronological order left-to-right, were Pride, Father, Envy, Lust, and Gluttony. They seemed to be prepared for war. Pride was flexing out his shadows. Father was standing with a forbidding glare. Envy was crouched on the ground, ready to strike. Lust already extended her razor-sharp nails. Gluttony was staring innocently, finger in mouth, tilting his head and staring.

"What the hell?" Greed blinked. "Are they trying to attack us?"

"They know it's us?" Sloth asked.

"Yeah." Greed said. "Why would they attack us?"

"Pride?" Sloth repeated. "Pride. Pride said."

"You mean..." Greed's eyes narrowed. "Pride's manipulating them into attacking us."

"Yeah." Sloth grunted.

**-Author's Notes-**

I did this chapter yesterday, but I was out all day and forgot to post it. I had fun with this one. There's quarrelsome siblingship, and a lot of issues to work out. They're great cliffhangers. By the way, prepare for an epic battle in the next chapter. I truly hope I'm portraying Greed correctly. So far, he's the most difficult Homunculus to write about, for me. I guess because he's been two Greeds - the first one was typical Greed, and the second one was Greed-Ling. Since this is a prequel, obviously I'm writing about the first Greed, but it's difficult since Greed-Ling had so much more of a spotlight in the manga. I guess that's what is making it tough. Ah well. Read and review, I'd appreciate it.


	6. Chapter VI: Manipulation

**Chapter VI: Manipulation**

AntiFiction

10-07-2012

(6)

Father was not pleased. His wish was to peacefully cross the desert and seek out to temporarily blend into human civilization, through the pathway of the outskirts of a powerful country. That was all he wanted. When factoring his six children into the equation, he honestly wished they would just remain obedient. In a perfect world, yes, they would all operate in synchronized harmony. In reality, like in every family, they would bicker.

Now, the family stood at the outer edge of the small border city of Oasis. Father stood on one side with his perceived most-loyal children: Pride, Envy, Lust, and Gluttony. His "disobedient" children stood on the other side: Greed and Sloth (because he was helping Greed). For the first time ever, Father felt this tugging worry that he would need to punish a child. Never, ever had he followed through with discipline or punishment. The only reason his children knew what he was capable of was because of sessions when he would torture and destroy humans in his lair, for his own purposes.

He had never laid a hand on them. He would threaten. He would intimidate. He would dominate. He would antagonize. Yet never in his life did he think he would have to resort to actual punishment. It was not in his nature to discipline them. He was a very calm parent, who focused much more on healing, nurturing, and building up his children into responsible, demented individuals. Their outcomes would please him more than life itself.

Deep down, he wanted to just sit down with Greed and ask him what his problem was. _"Why do you want to fight us, Greed? Why?"_ Those words couldn't be said, however, in a dangerous situation like this. It was a critical moment where Greed's actions would actually determine whether or not Father would ever see his plan to completion. There was very little to gain in moving forward with the plan as of now, and there was so much more to lose than ever before.

"Stop, Sloth." Greed said, patting his large brother's shoulder.

"Stop?" Sloth did indeed stop in his tracks, and caught Greed in one massive hand when the momentum caused him to fly off his shoulder. "But fetch? What about fetch?"

"Fetch seems like a bad idea right now." Greed frowned, trying to struggle upright in Sloth's cupped hand. "I've never seen Dad like that. Yeah, as siblings, we've all fought every now and then, but we'd eventually resolve things. Dad's always talked big, but he never actually carried through with anything. Right now... He seems serious."

"But Pride." Sloth frowned. "Pride lied."

"Do you even know what Pride said to him to make him so pissed at me?" Greed asked.

"Pride said..." Sloth stared blankly and thought. "Defying Father is great sin."

"Give me a break." Greed folded his arms. "It's not defiance, and it's not disobedience. It's just having a little fun. Why can't he understand that I don't like being cooped up? Sure, maybe you guys do, but I hate it."

"Greed doesn't spend time anymore." Sloth explained. "Greed used to have fun. Not fun outside. Fun here. Fun with us. Greed used to love us."

Greed blinked. "Gosh." He ran his fingers through his spiky hair. "I still love you guys. Yeah, sometimes you're annoying and really get on my nerves. That's normal. Will I hate you because you're annoying? I don't think so."

"But then..." Sloth blinked. "Why Greed always out? Why Greed so annoyed? Why Greed avoid us?"

Greed sighed. "I guess... I should've worked it out before it got this bad. I thought it'd get better if I put it off tomorrow. I didn't think you guys cared all that much."

"Cared?" Sloth's voice dropped. "We worry." He breathed. "Because we care."

Greed glanced down at the hot sandy floor. "I'm sorry, Sloth. Actually..." He looked up at the line of angry family members. "I'm sorry, everyone. Hey guys, did you hear me? I'm sorry!" He motioned. "Sloth, I don't think they can hear us. Let's get closer, so we can just talk this all out."

"He's going to strike." Pride smiled mischieviously. "Shouldn't you strike first, Father?"

"Why does he want to fight us?" Father asked. "I don't understand what could have angered him to this point."

"Isolation is disobedience." Pride said. "All that time he's spent alone... Are you truly surprised that he's trying to attack us? If we don't know what he's up to, then we can be assured he can't be up to any good. He's hiding something really important."

"But..." Father lowered his hand. "I can't bring myself to strike him."

"Father, but we have to..." Pride looked hurt. In protest, he looked over at his three younger siblings. "Envy. Lust. Gluttony." They looked up when they heard their names. Pride pointed to Greed and Sloth. "Do something." His eyes watered up, probably because he wasn't getting his way. "Hurry."

"I think we should just talk..." Gluttony said sadly. "We always talk... We never should fight like this." He had never been in a fight. The older siblings had definitely gotten into quite a few fights amongst themselves, but not to the proportions that Pride was describing. What he described was ruthless war.

"I'm going to side with Gluttony on this." Lust said. "If he strikes first, too bad. We'll do something about it then. Striking first seems too antagonistic."

"Yeah. I agree." Envy said, standing up and sighing, placing his hands on his knees. "Greed and I have been fighting a lot lately. Not fistfighting, but just stupid banter back and forth. I know it's immature. I know I've said things I shouldn't have said. I'm just as angry at him as he is of me! However, I wouldn't use my powers on him. Maybe I'd smack him around at worst, but I'd never..."

Pride was growing impatient with everyone's lack of action. In response, he extended his shadows as quickly as he could. It was so fast that nobody knew what happened until there was a huge explosion of sand and body parts. The younger siblings were so horrified, they didn't even register what happened. They backed away in terror, grabbing onto each other protectively. Father himself was too stunned by the gore to realize who attacked first.

"DAMMIT!" Greed choked as his body reassembled itself. "PRIDE, YOU BASTARD! I'm badly damaged as it is! My regeneration juice is running low!" An eerie, deep growling emitted beside Greed. Next to him was Sloth, who was slowly regenerating into the massive beast he was. "Sloth?" Greed blinked. "Are you okay?" Sloth didn't even seem like himself. He was incredibly angry. Animalistic growls were emitting from his throat, like a lion prepared to easily snap the neck of its prey. Sloth had died before in the course of his life, but never had his body been torn asunder like that. "Sloth, no, calm down bro." Greed said, crawling closer to see if he could reason with him. "This is just what Pride wants. You can't atta-"

That sentence couldn't even be finished. Faster than anyone's eyes could register, Sloth pummeled himself through the air and effectively knocked out everyone on the opposing team. It was like watching light-speed bowling, with the pins soaring into the sky. "SLOTH!" Greed raged. "GET BACK HERE!"

"Fight." Sloth growled. "They want to fight!"

"No!" Greed fumed. "Don't give in to the stupidity!" A fist caught him off-guard. It punched him in the nose, causing it to bruise and bleed upon impact. "OW, SHIT, WHO DID THAT?" He screamed, holding onto his nose.

"I did!" Envy yelled, holding up his fists, ready to beat him. "You bastard!"

"Don't give in to the confusion!" Greed retaliated. "Envy, come on, this is what he wants to happen!"

Envy fought dirty, without using his powers. He went for Greed's eyes, nose, throat, neck, and other sensitive spots. Greed had no choice but to defend himself. The ultra-hard carbon skin he grew definitely helped evade most of the blows, but Envy was definitely strong enough to constantly break through his defenses. Greed defended more than he tried fighting back. "Damn you, Envy. I can't hit you for real. You're my little brother - oops." He covered his mouth and regretted what he said.

He forgot that Envy didn't like the title brother or sister. In fact, he loathed it with a passion. He deeply disliked labels, with the exception of his fabulous name of course: Envy. "I'M NOT YOUR BROTHER!" Envy shrieked, delivering a massive kick that caused Greed to stagger and fall backwards. He breathed heavily on the floor, weakened and barely able to regenerate himself. "... Greed?" Envy's eyes widened. "Dammit, I didn't mean to actually kill you..."

On the other side of the battlefield, Lust crash-landed into a palm tree, and she broke Gluttony's fall. They both slid off and fell to the sand below. Lust clutched onto her wounded arm and fractured nails, letting out a scream of terrible pain. Tears slid down her cheeks, and she gasped for air as her arm repaired itself.

"Lust! Oh no, Lust!" She was called. Her vision was blurry from the pain. She was healed in mere seconds, but she was so stunned by her former injuries that she turned over to bury her face. Little Gluttony was panicking, calling her and gently placing his hand on her shoulder. "Lust! Are you okay, Lust?"

Her eyes flew open. Gluttony had been attacked, too. She quickly sat up and held onto her little brother. "Gluttony, are you hurt?" She asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Gluttony had been crying, too. He was trying to wipe his tears away as well. "I'm okay..." He said, but he was covered in blood.

"Did he kill you?" Lust asked. She hadn't died, but the pain was definitely intense.

"No." Gluttony replied. "It was close, though."

Lust's protective instincts went crazy. She stood up, shaking in anger and disbelief. She turned around to face Sloth, who had accidentally killed himself by smashing himself onto a palm tree. She ran forward, her nails extended, and she delivered a fatal blow to Sloth, tearing through the spinal column and inner organs.

"Ouch." Sloth said. "Who did that? Almost killed me. Who?" He turned around and saw Lust. He frowned. "Lust against me? Lust wants to kill me?"

Lust proceeded to ruthlessly beat Sloth. Very easily, she was winning. Her nails dug through his tough flesh and pierced his soft insides, and up close, she was able to dodge his charges. He was lazy, so she wore him out easily. He didn't care that he got defeated. He just wanted to sleep off the pain after a while. He fell face-first to the ground and began to snore.

In the background, Gluttony was traumatized by all the violence and gore. He quickly ran into the shrubbery to hide, even though his little body was too round to completely cover. He started becoming afraid of Lust, watching her viciously cut down Sloth like that. Gluttony began to cry, holding onto himself and closing his eyes, so he couldn't watch.

Father soared out of the sky, down to Pride who was falling at a much quicker rate. Father knew exactly what happened and who started the battle, so he rose his fist. He grabbed Pride by his shirt, as they were in freefall, and prepared to strike him. Pride saw this, and he cried out, "Father! NO!"

An immense explosion caught the attention of the other five siblings. Power that size could only be attained by their father. They all turned to face it in fear and awe. Immediately, they all bowed in respect. Greed and Sloth would have, too, if they hadn't been beat to the ground. Envy was on his knees and hands, bowing his head in fear, struggling to breathe under his father's power. Lust was on one knee, with her hands trying to support herself upright. She was swaying under her father's power, almost falling onto her side from the pressure. Gluttony curled up tight, shivering in fear and visibly bawling.

Once the sand cleared, Father was seen. One hand was grasping Pride's shirt, and the other hand was still balled into a fist, ready to strike again. He realized what he had done. His fist lowered and his eyes widened as he stared at Pride's face. Hurt, betrayal, abuse, injustice... were the emotions on his face. His appearance as a small child made it even more disturbing. He let out a horrible cry that was similar to that of a dying child.

"Pride..." Father fell to his knees. "I'm so sorry..."

Pride struggled to get away. He fell backward, since Father didn't have much of a grip on him. He crawled backwards, but soon got himself up on his feet, and began to run away. He didn't slow down, and he didn't dare stop. His cries were heartbreaking. Father had never struck any of his children, ever, and he had never seen any of them so afraid of him.

"Pride!" Father called out. "I'm sorry! Please come back!" Now words could never reach him. "PRIDE!" Father wept, clutching onto himself and mourning. He felt like he lost his firstborn child by something permanent, something like death.

"PRIDE!"

**-Author's Notes-**

I'm a terrible person. I wrote this chapter just for that scene of Father disciplining Pride. It would be the first time he had ever punished one of his children. I thought it was fitting, with Pride being the immensely jealous firstborn, who is angry that his younger siblings need much more attention than he does. He wants Father all to himself, and boasts a much closer bond to him than any of the other children, supposedly. Why did I pick on Pride? Well, I didn't really like what he did to certain other Homunculi in the manga. It was greatly upsetting. That's why this scene was so joyous to write. Read and review, tell me if it's any good. I hope it's interesting so far! Dr. Jeremiah, I hope I'm starting to get Greed's character right. I think in the next chapter, his behaviors will definitely start to make sense.


	7. Chapter VII: Recuperation

**Chapter VII: Recuperation**

AntiFiction

10-07-2012

(7)

Night fell in silence, and Pride had left behind a huge mess: a broken family. They seemed to be so strong, seven individuals moving as one powerful unit, sharing the same goals. Their bonds were either everlasting, or artificial. It was hard to tell, after all, they were only modeled after human beings. They weren't truly human.

Father had been mourning in silence. He was prostrate on the ground, his hands clutching onto the sand, and his entire body bowing in a pleading, prayersome motion. He was very quiet, deep in thought, and utterly remorseful. The children felt equally terrible. Envy was curled up by Greed, holding him in his arms and whispering to him. Lust held young Gluttony in her arms, cradeling him, leaning against a sleeping and forgiving Sloth.

"How long is Dad gonna stay like that?" Greed asked weakly. "I really don't think I can hang on much longer. I feel like crap."

"Shh, conserve your energy." Envy said softly. He looked over at Father, who had been in the same grievious position all day. Was he truly regretting the loss of his firstborn child? Or, like Pride was thinking, was he furious that he couldn't continue forth with his plans without his trumph pawn?

"Dad..." Greed weakly called out, holding out his hand. "Dad... Please..." His calls didn't reach him. "Dad, I need you..." He pleaded.

Finally, his parental instincts kicked in. He couldn't ignore an injured offspring, especially when it cried out to him in pain. He crawled over, in a defeated pose, to his third-oldest child. "Greed, my son..." Father said softly, holding out his arms. Envy transferred the dying Homunculus over to him, and disturbed by how weak he was, Envy began thinking about his own indefinite mortality._ "That could have been me..."_ Envy thought.

"Dad... Daddy..." Greed coughed, instantly wrapping his arms around his father, breathing his last breaths. "I'm sorry... So sorry... I wanted to tell you before..."

"Don't strain yourself, my son." Father said. The poor thing was clinging onto its last moments of life. Father held onto his hand, and Greed started to relax, a heavy and unescapable sleep starting to take over him. Death was already creeping upon him. Envy was clinging onto himself, an expression of extreme sorrow and empathy on his face. He would be in tears if he wasn't so paralyzed in fear.

"Thank you, thank you..." Greed whimpered. "Thank you so much for this life, Father..." Suddenly, Father stabbed his hand into Greed's chest. "GAH, WHAT THE HELL, DAD? TRAITOR! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD FINISH ME OFF LIKE THAT-" Instantly, it became evident that Father was transferring his power into Greed's Philosopher's Stone. He was charging its regenerative abilities. Greed slowly started to recover from his fatal injuries, until he was a young, healthy man again.

Envy had his hands clasped over his mouth. He was shocked to watch Father stab his older brother through the chest, but then he was overwhelmed with awe by how quickly Greed healed with the Stone's powers. However, he also knew the regeneration brought unfathomable pain and stress onto their immortal bodies, so he flinched in sympathy to watch those red coils of electricity spasm through Greed's body. **+1,000 respect points.**

Greed groaned in exhaustion. He breathed slowly and heavily, still gasping because the pain was lingering. His nerves were still wrecked with agony, after lying there for several hours for his impending death. "My body..." He moaned. He placed his hand on his healed chest, where Father had impaled him. "It aches everywhere..."

"Be with him." Father commanded to Envy. "Watch over him. I have others to tend to." He stood swiftly and let them be.

"Damn, tough guy." Envy said, crossing his legs into a meditation position. "It hurt just to watch. You okay?"

Greed chuckled. He wasn't used to sympathy. "I'll live." He glanced over at Envy with a serpentine grin. "It's not like you to worry about me."

"Well..." Envy scratched his head. "You are my big brother."

"Heh." Greed beamed proudly, sticking his chest out. "I got a reputation to uphold. You're not supposed to see me like this."

"It's rather... humble." Envy said. "It's nice to see a different side of you." He flushed in embarrassment that he was starting to feel attached to the most annoying sibling ever.

"I'm starting to feel great..." Greed said, his eyes reflecting vitality. He looked much better. His muscles were well-defined, and his skin was so new, it was practically shining. His eyes were colorful, his face perfected, and his features rewritten with Father's power. Envy almost started to feel uplifted just looking at Greed.

"Well, you look great, too." Envy babbled, and then smacked himself for saying it loud.

Greed gave him an intense grin. "Too sexy?" Envy smacked him, got up, and walked a few steps away. He paced back and forth in thought. He became frustrated, and started flailing his arms in the distance. Greed laughed hysterically, "Come on, Envy, stop getting so embarrassed. Just admit it! You think I'm hot."

Envy gave a disturbed look and paced back. "You're my brother. That's so _wrong_."

"Sexiness knows no boundaries." Greed joked. "It's infectious. It starts spreading to everyone."

"I'm not attracted to you." Envy folded his arms.

Greed's eyes widened. "Whoa there, bro. I wouldn't expect you to be." He laughed hysterically again. "You're such an oddball, Envy."

"Stop calling me bro." Envy fumed.

"I call everyone bro." Greed pouted. "Even Lust. It's out of habit. Come on, don't get so sensitive. I know about your gender problem - I wouldn't rub salt in your wounds or anything. I'm not that horrible of a person." He sighed and reached out his arms to stretch them. It felt great to stretch.

"I don't HAVE a problem." Envy sat, crossing his legs again. "You do. You're always so pissy at everyone. You're always out and about. You're always picking up chicks. You're never home anymore. We never see you. We never know what you're thinking about. It's like... We don't know you at all anymore."

Greed frowned. "I really didn't mean to come off like that..."

"Then why do you do it?" Envy spat. "It hurts us. Believe it or not, we have feelings too. You're not the only being in the world that feels pain. In fact, you're not the only being in the world, period."

"Geez, accusations!" Greed said. "None of that is true."

"Tell me the truth, then!" Envy screamed. "It hurts to be shut out!" He was angry enough to shed a tear, which he quickly wiped off before it was seen.

Greed stared up at the bright constellations in the pitch-black night sky. The desert was cold at night, but his newly-charged Stone kept him nice and warm. The cool sand beneath gave the feeling of lying on a fluffy moist cloud. Greed felt his surroundings deeply, a hand feeling through the grains of sand, taking them up and pouring them back gently. "I've been alive for a long time..." Greed said.

"We all have." Envy said. "Except Gluttony and Sloth - they're not even a century old yet. They're still children."

"It's been 130 years..." Greed breathed slowly. "The first time I opened my eyes, I remember it so clearly. I was born perfect in every way. Great biceps, great abs, great pecs, gorgeous-"

"Yeah, yeah." Envy coughed.

"The moment I was born, I loved myself." Greed said. "Father told me I was. At the time, he said that I was his favorite child... I was better than Pride and Lust. I wasn't stuck looking like a little kid, and I wasn't a woman. I was built the closest to Father's image."

Envy squirmed. "Cut the crap. He loves Pride and Lust as much as he loves you." He spat out of jealousy, knowing that he would probably spew more information about the ones born after him that would make him mad. He didn't want to feel inferior. He projected that by defending Pride and Lust.

"Calm down, br-... Envy." Greed corrected himself. "I just remember this intense warmth and love when I was born. This sense of perfection... The idea that he finally got it right." He clutched onto his arm. "He made Greed."

Envy sighed, "So you have no more room in your heart to love anyone else... Is that what you're saying? Well, it's no surprise that everyone, including Father, passes you off as selfish."

Greed folded his arms. "Thanks for bursting my nostalgia bubble with your unnecessary judgment. No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm getting in the storytelling mood."

Envy stared blankly, and face-palmed. "Good god."

"I was so happy to be alive." Greed said, staring up at the night sky, sprawled out as he spoke. "I was born, and I would never die. I was so happy..." To Envy's surprise, tears streamed down Greed's face. "I figured out that I just wasn't enough for my Old Man." He pounded his fist into the ground. "All that care, love, and attention to detail... All that energy he put into creating me... And it wasn't enough..."

Envy tilted his head. "What are you getting at?"

"I wasn't the final draft." Greed sighed heavily, huge teardrops falling from his closed eyes. "Later, Father went on to perfecting his craft by creating Envy, Sloth, and Gluttony. It turns out that Greed was just a fancy idea for yet another step in the ladder toward perfection."

"Oh..." Envy felt like he was finally starting to understand the resentment Greed had towards him. It might have been the fact that out of all people, he was born directly afterward, some twenty-five years later. No matter how he turned out, Greed would feel heartbroken disappointment. "All the fights we got into... Are you saying it was nothing personal?"

"That's right!" Greed covered his face with one hand. "When I was young, I couldn't really hate Pride or Lust. They just seemed like great decorum. When you were born... I..." He couldn't even speak without his voice breaking on him. "I'm sorry!" He yelled. "I was just a kid! Foolish and naive! I didn't know any better!" He grieved.

"Shh..." Envy said, placing his hands on Greed's shoulder. "Enough. This misery... It ends here."

"What?" Greed stared, heartbroken and guilty. "Dammit, don't get soft on me. I don't expect you to shrug this off, and I definitely don't want you to forgive me. Hate me, Envy. Hate me, because it's the right thing to do. It's justice. I had it coming. I deserve it."

"It hurt to be shut out - it hurt more than you'll ever know..." Envy said softly. "I'd cry every night. I'd wonder why my brother hated me so much. It didn't matter what I did. He hated me, he ignored me, he avoided me, he yelled at me, he abandoned me... It hurt, you selfish bastard." His anger caused tears to stream down his face, which he just wiped off and ignored, his voice still strong and firm. "It felt like you hated us. You hated everyone. You just loved yourself. You did your own thing. You kept everyone out. You made me feel... so alone..."

"I'm sorry!" Greed yelled. "I'm sorry, dammit! Don't you dare forget what happened! Use that as fuel to hate me. Every time you picture my face... You should loathe it. It's perfectly natural."

"I know." Envy beared his teeth. "It's so natural to hate you."

Greed closed his eyes and shed more tears. "I know..."

"But..." Envy shifted and turned away, his back facing Greed. "I can't hate you... not for real."

Greed's eyes shot open. "Why the hell not?" He frowned.

"Blood's thicker than words." Envy said. "Love is more powerful than actions. You're my brother - I can't help but care about you."

Greed stared at Envy's back. "I feel... the same..."

"Why?" Envy yelled. "Why are we so illogical? We've fought our whole lives. We've always butted heads. We're so angry at each other. Why do we even care? In fact, why do we even like each other?"

"It's because we're family." Greed said, trying to prop himself up. He struggled with his sore arms.

"Careful." Envy said, instinctively holding onto Greed and helping him up. "As sappy as this is, I really do love you, bro."

Greed chuckled, and then doubled over laughing. Envy said "bro." That was a moment worth remembering. "Ah hell, I love you too, Envy." He threw his arms around his younger sibling in a manly embrace. "Remember that."

Meanwhile, Father was examining the conditions of his other three children. He patted around Sloth's muscular arms, checking for bruising and other injuries that may have healed over incorrectly, while the Stone's regenerative abilities were being used too quickly and often. "Does it hurt anywhere, Sloth?" Father asked. "Here? Here? How about here? Here?"

"No pain." Sloth said.

Father checked his back. "Your spine looks damaged. It grew in all crooked. Is your breathing okay?"

"A little hard." Sloth said.

"No surprise." Father commented. "Sit up, Sloth."

"Don't wanna." Sloth protested. "Wanna sleep."

"Fine." Father groaned. "I suppose I can fix you in this position." He started poking around Sloth's back.

"Ow." Sloth said.

Father lightly touched the spine, and drew it up to down. The vertebrae grew in perfectly, following the trace of Father's finger, and demolish and re-growing over the imperfect spine. In sync, the spinal cord and branching nerves followed Father's healing touch. The damaged organs, such as the pancreas and kidneys, were also demolished and re-grown in the process. Sloth groaned lightly, but breathed easier once his innards were set in their proper places.

"Thank you." Sloth grumbled in pain.

"You'll be okay." Father promised. "It looks like you and Greed took the most damage."

"I'm sorry, Father." Lust said softly, her arms cradeling Gluttony, who had fallen fast asleep listening to her heartbeat. In a Homunculus, the heartbeat was the result of the Philosopher's Stone pulsating healing and preservative energy throughout the body, which sounded like the screams of a million dying souls. It was the lullaby that easily put Gluttony to sleep.

"I don't want anyone to hurt anymore." Father said. "You just must promise me that you won't do it again."

"That contradicts my former promise, Father." Lust protested. "You told me to protect this young boy with my life. I told you that I would give myself for that purpose. Telling me not to harm those who threaten his existence... That contradicts the promise."

Father bowed his head and nodded in agreement. "I can forgive you, then."

Lust breathed in relief. Gluttony stirred in response, still in deep sleep. His little hands were placed on her chest, directly below her collarbone. Beneath her soft skin and thick ribs, came the source of her breath. Gluttony listened to it subconsciously. Lust brushed Gluttony's naked head with her gloved hand. "What do we do without Pride?" She asked.

Father sighed. "I don't know how we can move forward without him..."

"Do you think he'll forgive you some day?" Lust asked.

"I hope so..." Father whispered. "I need him to."

**-Author's Notes-**

I really enjoyed writing this chapter. In my opinion, it's the best one so far. I loved the interactions between Greed and Envy - it's something I really needed to do. They need more of a spotlight, since I tend to accidentally draw bias towards Lust and Gluttony. I'm trying to give them all equal time in the story. Yes, this means that in the future, there will probably be Pride-centric or Sloth-centric chapters. They also need screen time. I hope that this story is enjoyable so far. Read and review, let me know what you think. I'd really appreciate it. I need feedback badly, because I haven't written in a very long time. (Two years since I had been writing on a daily basis, thanks to becoming a super-busy college student.) I'm going to take a break for a bit, until readers can catch up with my writing speed.


	8. Chapter VIII: Quality-Time

**Chapter VIII: Quality-Time**

AntiFiction

10-10-2012

(8)

The Homunculi spent the night in the desert. They toughed out the harsh conditions, such as the cold wind and occasional sandstorms. They were unseen by human eyes despite Father's fears of being witnessed. They were safe. Unfortunately, by the next morning, something was wrong with Envy. His throat was sore, his nose was runny, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had a persistent cough. It was this coughing that woke up Greed, who had fallen asleep in close proximity to Envy. .

"Hey, Envy?" Greed propped himself upright when Envy wasn't answering. He was coughing in his sleep. Greed crawled over to Envy and poked his shoulder, which was hot to the touch. Greed tried to analyze what this meant, but to his surprise, Envy tossed over and glared at him.

"Don't touch me." Envy sniffled. "It hurts."

"What's wrong?" Greed asked, scooching backwards to give him space.

"I don't know..." Envy had a horrible cough. "Everything hurts..."

"Father!" Greed called out. He held up his hand and waved. "Father, something's wrong with Envy!" Greed worried, continuing his explanation as Father rose from the sand and began to walk. "It's weird - he was totally fine last night. We were weird, happy, chatty, and probably way out-of-character, and now Envy's gone down on me. I can't believe it. Just when I actually started to like the little guy, uh - it, thing? Whatever! I actually like him, and now he's gone." Greed grieved.

"I'm not dead." Envy scoffed, which turned into a wheezing cough. Father placed a hand on Envy's chest, and began to examine everywhere for abnormalities. "What are you doing, Father?" Envy squirmed away. "It's a little invasive..."

"Hold still." Father frowned. "I can't figure out what's wrong if you won't let me look."

"Why the chest?" Envy's eyes began to water up a little. "I hate it when you grab onto it..."

"It's your lungs." Father said, pulling away. "You have a respiratory infection."

"... Now how the hell did that happen?" Envy grimaced. "Aren't I immortal?"

"Exactly." Father said. "You cannot die from an infection. Your body will continue to heal itself at an extremely rapid pace."

"Why aren't I healed in seconds then?" Envy coughed, rolling over to gasp and wheeze.

"The Philosopher's Stone can heal any physical injury, as long as the stone itself is still in-tact." Father explained. "We are composed of the same materials as a human, so on the inside, we look very similar. The difference is that although we have perfect human anatomy, we don't actually need to eat or sleep, because the Stone does everything for us. However, we could if we wanted to." This debunked the theory that not all the Homunculi had stomachs. "Infections are caused by interference on behalf of the microbial world. There are viruses and bacteria everywhere. The Philosopher's Stone has incredible power, but it is restricted to the host body. It can cure serious diseases, such as cancer, but it cannot thwart the common cold virus, since the virus itself is not part of the host body."

"You're saying I caught a cold?" Envy scratched his head. "That is the most bizarre thing I've ever heard... in my whole life."

"It's a respiratory infection." Father corrected. "I don't believe you have a strain of the cold virus, but I'm not exactly sure what you have. You probably caught it because you forgot to shapeshift some additional clothing to protect yourself from viruses. Heat kills these microscopic nuisances. That explains why nobody else got sick."

"Damn you, nature, and your strange biases." Envy muttered under his breath.

"You're going to have to let the sickness run its course." Father frowned. "I'm sorry, but without my home-made elixirs, there's nothing I can do to speed up the healing process."

Envy stirred around, with a gist of helplessness. He was in pain. The perfect body he had was giving itself a fever to try to raise the temperature and kill the tiny invaders. Greed started feeling insane pity for him. "I think we should take him inside, and keep him warm."

"There's a restaurant in that inn." Lust pointed to where they ate two nights ago. "It's very warm in there, and now that I know I have a stomach, I want to try eating something for the first time."

Quickly, Greed held out his hand, and helped Envy up onto his feet. They walked up ahead, scampering to get somewhere warm. Lust glanced back, "Gluttony, Sloth. Wake up."

Sloth groaned, "Don't wanna."

Gluttony's small eyes opened. "Hungry, Lust."

"Let's go." Lust struggled, but she successfully picked up the now-overweight child. She was still able to hold him in her arms, and soon, she wouldn't be able to. This saddened her, because she had become so attached to her little brother. Father followed Lust and Gluttony, who followed after Envy and Greed. Everyone was leaving. This made Sloth feel left out.

"Fine." He grumbled, getting himself up with his two massive arms. The ground practically shook as he stood. "I don't like it. But I'm going." He said, lagging behind the group, as he dragged himself to catch up with them.

Greed threw his jacket around Envy and helped him walk. He held the door open for him, and watched over him carefully. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Envy sniffled. "It's not like you, Greed."

"I just feel like it." Greed said. "We had a great talk last night, and we really need to spend some quality time together."

Envy chuckled. "Heh, this is definitely a first."

Father seemed very pleased that Greed was joining the group. He was certain that, with time, he would bond with the already-close Envy, Lust, and Gluttony. He was worried that Sloth's low mental capacity kept him from forming meaningful relationships with anybody. In fact, he wondered if he even knew they were all his biological family. It was hard to tell, because Sloth slept eighteen hours every day that he wasn't assigned to work. "Can you fit through the door?" Father asked Sloth.

Sloth stared at the door and tried passing through it. It was extremely narrow, only able to fit half of him. He tilted his head and said, "No. Can't fit." The inn wasn't built for people who were twice the size of the average man.

"We'll be back, then." Father said. "You don't mind waiting outside?"

"It's fine." Sloth said. "More time to sleep." He dragged himself back out to the desert to take a nap.

Greed pulled up a chair for Envy, who was snugly wrapped in Greed's jacket. He looked slightly annoyed, "It's just an upper respiratory inflammation, I'm not handicapped. I can do some things myself."

"I'm not trying to be offensive." Greed chuckled. "I just want to help a little today. Let me do as I please."

"Fine, sure." Envy sighed, sitting down next to Lust. "What's up?"

Lust was already staring at him with dead-set concern. She was extremely sensitive to sick or injured people, so she started getting the tendency to nurse Greed (the injured) and Envy (the sick), whenever Gluttony didn't need attention. Lust said, "Pick something to eat. I'll buy it for you. You have to buy something that's great for your cold."

"I can't believe you used 'great' and 'cold' in the same sentence." Envy's eyes narrowed.

"You're looking fine today, Lust." Greed winked. Lust didn't even bother giving him a reaction.

"I think I'll take chicken soup." Envy flipped through the menu. "Soup's great with colds. I... I can't believe I just used Lust's wording."

Lust stood up and pushed her chair back. "I'll definitely buy it. By the way... What's with the chicken obsession?"

"I don't have obsessions." Envy said in his defense. "It's just ironic that chicken soup is one of the best foods for the common cold."

"Soup, too?" Gluttony asked Lust, tugging on her gloved arm.

"Why don't you have just regular chicken?" Lust asked. "Soup can be messy."

"I want what Envy wants." Gluttony insisted.

"He's mimicing you." Lust shot a glare over at Envy. "Let's hope you're not a bad influence." With that, she went to order the food.

"It just means he's emulating his role model." Greed said, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. "Looks like out of all people he admires, it's Envy."

"That's really weird." Envy stuck out his tongue. "Gluttony and I have, like... nothing in common. At all."

"You're both Homunculi?" Greed suggested.

Envy face-palmed. "What ELSE?"

"You have the same father?" Greed continued.

"Seriously?" Envy's eyes narrowed. "You're going with the super basic information?"

"Hmm..." Greed tapped his chin. "Yeah, I got nothing."

"He could be like you when he's older." Father suggested, finally deciding to pull up a chair and join the conversation. "You never know - he's just a child, after all. He can be molded into anyone and anything, as long as we raise him correctly."

"There's also the likelihood that he'll never, ever be like me, at all, EVER." Envy argued. He hated the idea of two Envys in the same world. "Maybe he just has great taste."

"Or maybe he's just simplifying Lust's order." Greed snickered.

Envy burst out into laughter. It made the buzzing restaurant become dead quiet, with only Envy's contagious laughter filling the air. It was awkward, but the others started to chuckle quietly to alleviate the weirdness. "That's great." Envy wiped a tear from his eye. "So true."

Gluttony felt ignored during this entire conversation. "This is what I think."

"You can think?" Envy's eyebrows rose. Gluttony held up a finger to say something, but placed both hands under the table and stared blankly. The comment was quite offensive to him.

"There's a brain in there for sure." Father interjected. "I'd know. I grew him off my own body."

"How is his thinking capacity, pops?" Greed asked. "Not as slow as Sloth, I'd hope."

"Definitely not." Father said. "There's great potential, but I'm never certain if it will be achieved in adulthood. There are several purposes I have created for each of you, but to date... I've never seen any of you come close to completing them."

"Ouch." Greed looked out the window to think of happier things.

"What exactly have you incorporated into us?" Envy asked. "You've made me curious, Father."

"In good time." Father smiled. He glanced over at little Gluttony, whose small head was peaking over at his two older siblings in fascination. "Gluttony actually has advanced intelligence. The problem is... he's unable to articulate it very well."

"Why's that?" Envy asked. "I can articulate just fine. It seems like after me, something went wrong, so Sloth and Gluttony turned out mentally deficient."

"That's not it at all." Father continued. "Sloth, I've already explained. I traded his intelligence for other strengths. Gluttony has lots of intellect - however, it's only activated if he feeds frequently, and in enormous amounts."

"Why?" Envy frowned. "That seems strange."

"It's part of his purpose." Father said. "I need him to consume people, in preparation for creating a new Philosopher's Stone. The only way he can complete that purpose is if he eats lots and lots of humans. His body would reward him with long-term higher levels of thinking."

"That's actually ingenius." Greed stroked his chin. "Two birds with one stone, if you ask me."

"Can I say what I think?" Gluttony asked again. "Please?" He looked at everyone for permission to speak.

"Go on, you've piqued my interest." Envy said, staring at his younger brother with active interest.

Gluttony grinned and inhaled before speaking, "Gluttony is Gluttony. Envy is Envy. Greed is Greed. Lust is Lust. Father is Father."

"Huh?" Envy became confused. "Yeah, 1 = 1. So what?"

"I'm not trying to be anybody." Gluttony said, pointing to himself. "There's nobody I can be, but me."

"I like your style, kid." Greed grinned.

"Soup." Lust said, placing down two plates of soup for Envy and Gluttony. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I forgot to ask... Greed, did you want anything?"

"I'm good." Greed said, leaning back in his chair.

"I got these... vegetables." Lust placed a bowl of vegetables on the table. "They were really colorful, so I was wondering what they tasted like. Do you want to try some?"

Greed's eyebrows rose. A girl was being nice to him. Sure, it was his older sister, and it would be totally incestious if he felt anything of romantic nature towards her. Nevertheless, a _girl_ was being nice to him. Completely ignoring family relations, he ended up speaking in a flirtatious manner, "Of course, hon, hand some over if it isn't too much trouble." He said slyly, his tongue up against his sharp teeth.

Lust was disturbed. She picked some vegetables out and placed them on a napkin, which she slid across the table to avoid contact with him. She began chewing absent-mindedly, surprised by how rich vegetables tasted. It was like opening up an entire new world of possibilities. From that point onward, she ignored Greed, who began practicing his pick-up lines - or at least she thought that's what it sounded like.

"Eat." Father said, pushing the bowl over to Gluttony. "You're growing. You need fuel." In response, Gluttony took the bowl and inhaled deeply to pick up the scent. It was a rich smell, and he was insensitive to temperature, so he lapped it up with his tongue. His siblings didn't seem to mind. They were chattering about other things.

"These bowls are pretty big." Envy commented. "I don't know if I can eat all this. Soup's filling to begin with."

Lust folded her arms. "The more you eat, the better you'll feel. You don't want the virus to win, right?"

"Ugh." Envy grumbled, taking a spoon and mixing the broth around to watch everything spin. "I suddenly don't feel like it."

"Don't be moody." Greed tapped the table with his sharp fingernails. "Just go for it."

"Gluttony!" Lust's shriek was so shrill, Greed and Envy both jumped in fright. "I told you to stop if you were full. Now look what you've done!"

"But Lust, I'm still hungry." Gluttony shook his head. "I really am." The giant bowl was empty in mere seconds, and the child's entire body had grown spherical to accomodate its contents.

"This is going to hurt you later, and I'm going to pay the price for not trying to give you less." Lust complained, rubbing her temples.

"He's okay." Father said. "He's situating himself to his purpose, Lust. His stomach is capable of containing much larger objects than this."

"Actually, it is kind of creepy that he went from kid to ball in minutes." Envy slurped his soup.

"I'm going to have to agree with Lust." Greed said, placing his hands on the table. "Kid needs a diet."

"I'm still hungry!" Gluttony complained. His eyes were wide and watery. "Please..."

"Last time I saw that face, I did the wrong thing." Lust folded her arms and turned away." I won't do that again."

"The situation has changed, Lust." Father commented. "Before, he went through a long period of starvation and had to accustom himself to food again. Now, he's stretching himself out. It's perfectly natural. He has lots of room to grow, and his final size is supposed to be much larger than this."

"He won't always be a midget?" Greed asked.

"Definitely not." Father said.

"Maybe his brain hasn't registered the sateity yet." Envy noted. "There's a brain-stomach delay. The communication between them takes twenty minutes."

Young Gluttony placed his small hands on his large belly. "There's no delay. I'm still hungry!"

"Father..." Lust sighed. "Tell me what to do."

"He needs to eat." Father insisted. "Let him do as he pleases."

"What if he gets hurt again?" Lust stressed.

"You worry too much." Father had to remind her dozens of times each day. "He's immortal. He cannot die from overeating. He cannot die, period."

"He can still hurt..." Lust whispered under her breath as she got up to get more food.

"Does it hurt, Gluttony?" Father asked, just to make sure.

"No..." Gluttony's eyelids lowered. "Actually... It feels great."

"The reward system is working, then." Father smiled.

"Creepy..." Greed gulped, glancing over at Envy, who had an equally disturbed look. "Got any armadillas?"

"... What?" Envy's eyebrows rose.

Anyone who knew Greed well enough would tell you that he would bring up nonsensical topics whenever he was disturbed or otherwise uncomfortable. Envy knew he was slowly figuring it out, that he was getting closer to someone he thought he'd never know. Over one-hundred years of avoidance, and it came down to forgiveness, and potentially, a great siblingship. "Yeah, I got armadillas. How many you need?" Envy chuckled.

**-Author's Notes-**

This chapter was getting too long, so I thought, "Why not end it with something random and nonsensical?" The last few sentences about "armadillas" is actually a reference to an inside joke. Some of my childhood friends moved to Oregon, so I never see them anymore. I had the chance to meet up with them again, about five years back. That night, we decided to prank call people we knew from all over the country, and we even dialed random numbers once we ran out of people to prank call. My friend was doing the calls, and she was really good at coming up with the most random things. She decided to prank call Texas. Most people answered the phone saying:  
"Wait, who's this?"  
"I think you have the wrong number..."  
"Are you pranking me?"  
However, we got an EPIC person when we prank called. When he answered the phone (he lived in Texas), my friend shouted, "GOT ANY ARMADILLAS?" (Yes, that's exactly what she said. She thought armadillos lived in Texas, and decided to pronounce it a really hilarious way.) The person on the other line said, "YEAH, I GOT ME SOME ARMADILLAS! HOW MANY YOU WANT?" They totally had a conversation about that. It was so funny! I don't remember the rest, because I was busting up laughing for the next twenty minutes. I decided it was a memorable way to end this chapter.  
I'm really glad about the reviews I'm getting. I hope that this story is interesting. I've been altering previous chapters a little to respond to the questions. I don't consider the Homunculi as OOC right now, for two reasons. 1: This is a prequel. I'm showing how they used to be when they were innocent, and how they were shaped into the corrupted demon spawn that they are when the story begins. 2: Hiromu Arakawa (creator of Fullmetal Alchemist) is a huge fan of omake (similar to cartoon strips). She parodies her own work. She has several comics where the Homunculi themselves are very OOC, but it's hilarious and tastefully done. If she believes in great humor, that's good enough for me.  
I'm glad that this story is living up to some expectations so far. This author's note is getting a bit long, so... Read and review, I'll appreciate it a lot! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.


	9. Chapter IX: We Can Change

**Pre-Chapter Notes:**

For the sake of convenience, I think I'm going to start a trend of both notes at the beginning, and notes at the end. That way, it increases fluidity of the chapters. At first, this was just a fun little project, but I think I'll start writing it more professionally. It's an idea that has a lot of potential, so I think it could be fun to delve into much deeper. Just as a warning, I may re-do all the previous chapters. I'm making this chapter in particular stand as the standard of how the previous ones should be. I hope that the improvement isn't too much of an inconvenience, and that instead, it makes for a more enjoyable experience. I'm thinking about making the story Father-centric for the beginning arc, and moving towards the Homunculi in later chapters. I hope it's still worth a read, even if Father seems like a boring character sometimes...

**Chapter IX: We Can Change**

AntiFiction

10-17-2012

(9)

The clock struck midnight. One day passed away, and another day would arise in its place. There were secrets in every family, conspiracies brewing between siblings and truths withheld from children by their parents. There was strife in every lifetime, challenges that each individual went through alone, and other issues that reached out to embrace everyone. Humanity was like that: versatile, resilient, and interdependent. Everyone had connections to each other, with slight differences between parents, siblings, spouses, children, friends, and acquaintances. What must it be like to have none of that? What exactly is it like to be entirely alone?

Father was never bothered by his loneliness. He didn't care for these pitiful bonds that humans had for each other. Any _one_ of them could rise up and attain power, glory, and reverence, even if it meant the sacrifice of others. Humanity would only benefit if they realized the faulty system of reliance on others. They had to destroy their weaknesses: chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. They had to break free from this neediness to cling onto others. They had to actualize that they stood alone, responsible only for their own actions, and completely independent from others that they interacted with in their lives.

"Such weakness..." Father whispered to himself. The thought of humanity made him sick. He couldn't even perceive them to be anywhere near divine, or even worthy of existing - perhaps that's why they died. How wrong it was to allow these creatures to live, and how righteous it felt to bring them into the salvation of fulfilling his own purposes. They would become a part of something much greater. These judgmental, hypocritical, clueless animals would have no idea what hit them. On the Promised Day, their lives would be extinguished, drawn into the light of Father's glory. They would be assembled into him, they would become him, and together, they would become God.

Loneliness. It bothered Father that when his mind drifted, it always returned to the same core thought. A superior being couldn't afford to be hindered by the presence of others, whether it be of his own kind, or from lower lifeforms. He refused to give in to emotion, he wanted to cast it out altogether, and be freed from the bondages that delusioned humanity. Emotions were just chemical reactions, anyway, and there would be no point in listening to the aftermath of the clash between physical body and dissociated mind. "Rid me of it..." Father held out his pale hand, the fingertips glowing with red electricity, the very substance of life-force that could be molded into any living creature. He carried it in his immaculate body. A small trickle of red seeped out of his palm, which landed into a golden cup. He had spilled his own precious blood.

It was still there. Emotion pumped through his inky veins, the voices of millions clouding his mind and disturbing his thoughts. Only inferior creatures would retain the ability to feel anything. It was worrysome that no matter how much he extracted, the feelings remained, plagued, and overwhelmed. It was the disadvantage to adopting the vessel of a person, which was the result of destroying and absorbing _only_ humans. His physical composition was entirely of humans. However, his true, surrealistic form was murky darkness that did not exist in the physical plane. He could easily assume that superior appearance. It looked dark to human eyes, because their eyes were designed to be blind. Human eyes cannot perceive actual light itself - they could only perceive reflections of light. In Father's true form, as distorted and maniacal as it appeared to them, was actually pure and incomprehensible knowledge.

"Remember your power..." Father kept reassuring himself. He meditated deeply and inwardly, reaching through the fragile flesh and cradeling the small black essence within, which curled up like an unborn fetus. It was difficult to maintain his ethereal superiority when he fulfilled a very humble, human role: Father. Right now, it was his only name. What could be more misleading than a nurturing, loving figure? He was wracked with an unfounded hatred for life and indifferent towards the chaotic influence he had upon this world. He reflected deeply on his unspoken past actions, the likes of which only the dead knew of. Oh, how many people died to build him into what he was today? How many people died to create the bodies of his children? Exactly how many people died for his cause?

He had no regrets. Everything he did was right. He knew that no matter what, he created loyal followers who would obey his every move, and encourage every swipe he made at humanity. They would always look up to him, praise him, and motivate him to his final goals. They used to be just little whispers inside his head... but now they were their own individuals, their physical existence reminding him of their reality. Back when they were still little voices, he was in a flask, in an alchemical laboratory hundreds of years ago. When he was set free, he devoured the country of Xerxes and became a Philosopher's Stone itself. He was filled with so much power and might that even though he waited some time to settle down and have kids, they were crafted perfectly as if they had been born from fresh sacrifice. He was very proud of them, the strange little creatures that seeped out of his body and became their own masters. The Homunculi were definitely an achievement to be proud of. They were definitely his life's work, and freedom from his own personal flaws. Without them, he wouldn't have plans.

Father thought about creating a seventh and final Homunculus for quite some time now. Some brilliant idea was jarring around the recesses of his imagination, but they were too abstract and disorganized for him to grasp it. It occurred to him that he had written down his thoughts on a lengthy scroll, which went meters across the room. He hadn't even noticed - he was so absorbed in his brilliant ideas. Surrounding him were the sounds of soft breathing. Father discovered an abandoned underground shed, once used for sandstorm protection, which he decided to use for himself and his children to spend the night. After all, the inn was expensive, and it was a wise idea to save money. He forgot how they eventually wandered over here, but no matter...

He was studying Gluttony before thoughts of his entire past flashed before him. Gluttony was lying on top of the table, fast asleep, and barely showing signs of life beyond the breathing. The child definitely wasn't as small as he used to be. He was half of his final size - about three feet tall, or about a meter. He was as big around as he was tall. His shape was perfectly spherical, and with time, he looked less like a child and more like an adult. Father had been trying to analyze a particular contraption built into the boy's stomach. To his annoyance, Father couldn't get it to work. The contraption was quite similar to the analogy of a monster-within-a-monster. It was just another body part of Gluttony, but it sometimes seemed to have a mind of its own. Father was poking the abdomen, trying to get it to wake up, but nothing happened.

Father was on the verge of giving up and trying something else. However, after much prodding, Gluttony was stirring awake. Father took a moment to review his most recent actions - he was treating his youngest child as a scientific experiment. To him, that seemed perfectly natural. To human beings, this would be absolutely horrific. _You're using your own son to justify your theories._ He could still hear the whispers of humanity, somewhere deep in his mind, where they resided as a constituent of his glorious vessel. "Daa... Daddy..." Gluttony rolled over and held his arms out towards him. "Bad dream..."

Parental instincts took over instantly. Father held out his arms lovingly, and took the child under his metaphorical wing. Gluttony lied in his father's lap, his arms wrapped around his waist tightly, in a fearful, loving embrace. "What did you dream about?" Father asked softly, his hand stroking Gluttony's head.

"An eye..." Gluttony's eyes teared up. "A really scary eye that was watching me..." He tried wiping away the tears, but they streamed down his face nonetheless.

"What scared you about the eye?" Father asked. "An eye is a very powerful symbol. It could mean a vision, a window, a portal... the Truth." He glanced down at Gluttony's belly again, which secretly contained his most fabled, treasured experiment: personal access to the Gate of Truth. Just to think it could be inside his son's belly. He was so close to it - in fact, he was all around it... but it was concealed in a realm within his child's precious vessel. In that sense, it was too far to reach.

Gluttony continued, "It... It wanted to eat me."

Father was surprised by the counter-intuitive logic. An eye was a tool for observation. A mouth could speak and devour. Why was the dream about an eye, rather than a mouth? "How could an eye eat you?" Father asked, trying to assume the discontinuity of Gluttony's child-like logic.

"It was staring at me..." Gluttony seemed traumatized, trembling and clutching desperately onto his father's silky white robes. "It wanted me... It wanted everything... It wanted me to be a part of it..."

"Where was this eye?" Father pressed, his eyes firmly locking into Gluttony's. "Tell me where you saw it." Gluttony's hands trailed down to his stomach, and they stopped directly on it. Finally. Finally, Gluttony was aware about the Truth inside him. From birth until now, he had never noticed it. In fact, he never knew it existed. For the first time, he dreamed about it, and maybe, Father could see how it functioned. An unfortunate interruption cut off his train of thought-

"Father." Lust stood behind him, a look of alarm in her eyes. "They've found us. They know we're here. They know... what we are."

"What?" Father snapped, his head turned, his sharp eyes boring deep into Lust's. "How did they find us? How do they know? WHO RATTED US OUT?" It was unusual for him to yell, and when he did, Gluttony's grip became painful. The child was clutching onto his father, his nails digging deep into his back. Lust gave a blank look of confusion - she didn't know anything, other than the fact there were humans gathered above them, ready to attack them with pitchforks and torches. It couldn't have been Envy. He was curled up under a blanket, still sick, in anticipation of an elixir. Greed fell asleep beside Envy, which was weird for him - usually he would claim the comfiest spot ever, but for once, he was lying flat on wood floor. Sloth was sleeping beside Greed and Envy, not for any particular reason other than he was lazy and that was where his body decided to crash. Father quickly did a head-count and remembered the one stray member. "Pride." He said instinctively.

"I don't know if it's okay to jump to conclusions." Lust said defensively. "We don't know if we were ratted out, or if the people found us on their own."

Father groaned and sifted his fingers through his long, pale hair. "It seems we have no choice. I really didn't want it to come down to this, but..." Father glanced down at Gluttony, his fearful eyes slowly lessening into trust. "We have to sacrifice the town in an emergency fashion. Blow it to bits, make it so that it never existed, and nobody never knows what happened."

Lust bit her lip. "Sacrifice the entire town? Even if it's just a couple dozen of souls, it seems that a disappearance of that many people would incite a national crisis." She folded her arms across her large breasts, her high-heels tapping the floor as she paced. "They would notice us... then all of Amestris would be after us, not just one small desert town."

"Make it so that nothing ever happened." Father sternly repeated himself. "As far as I care, human civilization never permanently thrived this far east."

Lust processed this information, suddenly getting the drift of where he was going with this plan. Her eyes lit up. "Father, you're brilliant."

"My loyal child..." Father held out his hand, and Lust approached carefully and cautiously to take it. Her gloved hand rested in his. "Take this Stone. Reap the souls and store them inside. Sacrifice everyone. Do not leave any survivors. Can I entrust you with this mission?"

Lust was flattered. In her entire life, she had never been asked to do a mass murdering spree. Usually, that job was given to Pride, since he had a lot of free time and lots of killing methods. He was the most skilled in murder - it was his expertise. This was her first chance to prove herself worthy of the Homunculus title. "Thank you so much, Father." Lust breathed - she was moved by his merciful kindness. "I will not disappoint you." She bowed in respect, and proceeded up the ladder.

"Where's Lust going?" Gluttony asked innocently. He frowned as he looked up at the chute she left through.

"She is going to kill a lot of humans." Father replied truthfully. "It is her duty. It is the reason she was born. It is her purpose." He emphasized the importance of human sacrifice. He couldn't elaborate the details of how a Philosopher's Stone was made without confusing the poor child, so he tried foreshadowing simplicity as his method of approach. It worked in a satisfactory way.

"Killing..." Gluttony said in pondersome thought. "Isn't that bad?"

"It isn't always bad, Gluttony." Father said. "Sometimes it's for the greater good. If it is done for me... then it is good."

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Gluttony asked, staring up at his father with admiration and respect.

"You can eat them." Father persuaded. "That would help me immensely."

"No, I can't eat them..." Gluttony shook his head. "They taste horrible."

"Tonight, Lust is bloodthirsty." Father licked his lips. "I think you will find humans to be irresistable for the first time."

Gluttony stared blankly, with a troubled look. It seemed that he couldn't personally believe he would do that, but he trusted that Father's words were potentially propheti, regardless of whether they were in the near or far future.

That night was plagued with screams. While everyone slept, Lust went about her mission. She slayed everyone: men, women, children, and livestock. She burned the village to the ground, and the sandstorms buried the ashes. Golden flames illuminated across her pale, sensuous skin. She breathed in pleasure, inhaling the fumes of destruction, slathering herself in the blood of her recent victims. Her breath was taken away by such a beautiful sight - the fall of a city, although this one was small. Somehow, she ended up on the floor, her neck and chest decorated in crimson blood. She moaned in relief when her job was complete, her long black hair enveloping her. Nothing was left... Not even the inn they spent so much time at. Everything, and everyone, was dead. The last screams of persuasive mercy were: "Wait! Stop! **We can change**!"

_"What a pitiful lie..."_ Lust thought. She didn't try to move. She didn't try to go anywhere. She stared up at the beautiful full moon in the star-speckled sky. She felt the cool sand rush beneath and all around her. She was enveloped in the ashes of people, the vermilion Stone in her hand larger than it was before. It smelled like incense, the recent snuffing out of flames. Lust wanted it to be like this forever, and she found her passion in the Philosopher's Stone, further understanding why Father adored the object so deeply.

**-Author's Notes-**

I had the biggest block while trying to write this chapter. I wanted to step up the descriptions without losing reader interest. I hope I did a good job. I'm not too sure if I did. I really like in-depth, hardcore character development, though sometimes I can focus too much on that. I made this chapter Gluttony and Lust-centric, because they're the easiest to write for me. I find it interesting that although Lust's name has romantic inclinations, it's very rare that anyone writes Lust as being a romantic character. I tried incorporating that in the last few paragraphs, and I hope I didn't push the T (teen) rating in any way. All I did was describe how much she likes to burn stuff down. Read and review, let me know if I'm getting too ridiculous. If this chapter is well-received, I'll probably upgrade the complexity on previous chapters. I don't know if I'll go as far as re-write all of them, but we'll see. Enjoy!


End file.
